A fight over some prostitutes escalated and degenerated into such extreme violence that it resulted in the deaths of two soldiers while a third one was seriously injured. This happened in Bindura’s Chipadze suburb in Zimbabwe.
According to Zimlive, four soldiers clashed with artisanal miners over the ladies at around 1 AM on Tuesday. The fight which initially started with an argument inside the bar, moved outside where the miners attacked the soldiers with machetes, knives and empty beer bottles resulting in the fatalities.
The Zimbabwe National Army confirmed the incident saying that the four soldiers had been involved in an “altercation” with the miners.
The police and the army responded to the deaths in full force and rounded up dozens of women who are suspected to be prostitutes from the Chipadze and Chiwaridzo neighbourhoods.
However, lawyers for human rights have raised an outcry over the arbitrary arrest of women who have been suspected to be prostitutes. In a statement, the young women institute said,
…soldiers… have taken the law into their own hands and have been carrying out unwarranted attacks on women suspected to be sex workers and men suspected to be artisanal miners.
We condemn such barbaric violence on the innocent women being harassed. We call for an immediate end to the harassment of civilians, and the abuse of office by the soldiers. They must let the police do their job and allow for the law to take its course.