A Zimbabwean nongovernmental organization has warned that political violence is on the rise with national elections less than seven weeks off on March 29.
The Zimbabwe Peace Project issued a report saying its violence early warning system pointed to Manicaland, Masvingo and Midlands provinces as likely hotspots.
Peace Project National Director Jestina Mukoko said that since November the group has recorded 1,775 incidents of political violence compared with about 1,000 in the comparable period in 2004-2005, in the run-up to the 2005 general elections.
Mukoko told reporter Patience Rusere of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that most of the violence is perpetrated by ruling party supporters, and that the increasingly tense political violence is affecting the distribution of food assistance.