Africa
UNREST AND ARRESTS OVER GAS PIPELINE DISPUTE
By MISNA 24/5/13
May 24, 2013 - 9:47:54 AM

Residents rioted in Mtwara, in southern Tanzania, after a government announcement of the construction of a gas pipeline, resulting in one dead, 90 arrests and the torching of various government party offices.

“Chaos hits Mtwara after gas project confirmation”, headlines The Citizen newspaper. Based on a reconstruction by the paper, the chaos erupted with clashes between protesters and soldiers, attacks against state TV and government party offices after the minister for Energy and Minerals, announced in Parliament that construction of the Mtwara-Dar es Salaam gas pipeline would continue according to plan. The pipeline will consent the transport of methane gas from offshore plants in southern Tanzania to the nation’s economic capital.

The protest broke out over fears that the Mtwara region, among the least developed of the nation, only minimally benefits from the gas production proceeds. In January, at least seven people were killed in protests over the construction of the pipeline.