Anti-riot police officers clash with student demonstrators

Anti-riot police officers clashed with student demonstrators on 14 October 2008 in Harare. Members of the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) were attempting to deliver a memorandum to Parliament protesting the failure of most universities to open in time for the start of the academic year when the violence broke out. Security forces ordered the 200 ZINASU demonstrators to pick two representatives to deliver the memorandum. However, observers stated that the two were immediately arrested when they stepped forward to deliver the document. Anti-riot police officers then reportedly charged students, wielding batons and guns. At least four students were injured and three students were arrested. The incident was the first instance of heavy-handed tactics by Zimbabwe's security forces since President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) signed a power sharing deal on 15 September. Some observers fear that the incident is evidence that Mugabe has already ordered a resumption of violence after he unilaterally took control of the country's key ministries, including Home Affairs, which is in charge of Zimbabwe's police forces.