HARARE, ZIMBABWE (AP) – The discovery of the dismembered body of an opposition activist who had been missing is stoking tensions in Zimbabwe, a country with a history of politically motivated abductions and killings.
Moreblessing Ali, 46, was abducted in Nyatsime, a neighbourhood of Chitungwiza on the outskirts of Harare on May 24. Her body, cut into pieces, was found in a well in the area at the weekend, family lawyer Job Sikhala said.
Police said they are investigating the matter and dismissed allegations that the case is linked to politics.
But opposition supporters and other groups allege it is a political killing.
“This is a very bad indication of the elections in 2023. The dark clouds of violence are gathering,” President of the Citizens Coalition For Change Nelson Chamisa told dozens of mourners on Tuesday.
Many of those who gathered to grieve Ali were clad in the opposition party’s yellow colours and carried sticks amid reports of clashes with ruling party supporters in the area.
Tensions are rising in Zimbabwe, as economic hardships worsen and potentially divisive elections set for next year.
Zimbabwe has had a series of violent and disputed elections since independence from white minority rule in 1980.
