Zimbabwe police clash with food-price protesters

HARARE, Zimbabwe (Reuters) -- Rioters blocked roadways, threw stones at police and set fire to a minibus taxi on Monday in an angry protest against Zimbabwe's soaring food prices.

Riot police armed with batons, shields and automatic rifles responded by firing tear gas at the crowds, who used blocks and logs to close streets and encourage others to stay away from work.

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Police had sealed Mabvuki and Tafara townships, 30 kilometers (19 miles) east of Harare, and set patrols in the center of the city after rumors that angry youths were heading there for a demonstration against President Robert Mugabe's government.

Bread and sugar prices rose an average 30 percent last week in Zimbabwe, a country already facing economic crisis and political tension.

Witnesses said some roads had been scrawled with messages calling on residents to stay at home to show anger over the management of the economy by Mugabe, Zimbabwe's ruler since the former Rhodesia gained independence from Britain 20 years ago.

Police were not immediately available for comment, but residents said they had set up roadblocks and were conducting random searches in Tafara and Mabvuki townships.

Zimbabwe has been tense since February when Mugabe's government lost a referendum on a draft constitution that critics said was designed to entrench his rule.

The ruling ZANU-PF party narrowly won general parliamentary elections in June after a violent campaign that left at least 31 people dead.

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