Tanzanian police said Thursday it planned to arrest all the residents of a village in the country’s south after water pipes were destroyed by a mob.
The inhabitants of Ngolo village were accused of deliberately smashing pipes taking water to a neighbouring settlement in Mbeya region.
Governor Albert Chalamila had on Wednesday, « ordered that all the inhabitants of this village be arrested regardless of their condition. »
In response, police on Thursday deployed several vehicles and officers to arrest the villagers, said regional commander Ulrich Matei.
« They committed economic sabotage. The government has disbursed money, installed water pipes and they destroyed them! We cannot accept that, » Matie said.
The police chief added that he had sent « enough vehicles, with enough fuel and police on board » to arrest the villagers.
Details about the incident remain scanty, but the village, whose population is around 1,600, lies in an area where water resources are scarce.
Theeastafrican
