Malawi anti-Mutharika protests in Mzuzu: 'Eight killed'

At least eight people were shot dead during protests in Malawi's northern city of Mzuzu on Wednesday, hospital officials say.

The army has reportedly been deployed in the capital, Lilongwe, as protests resume in neighboring townships.

A police spokeswoman could only confirm one death but hospital officials said eight people had been killed.

The protesters are angry at rise in price and President Bingu wa Mutharika.

He is due to address the nation as a group of civil society groups - which organized the protests - said Malawi was facing its worst political and economic crisis since independence 47 years ago.

The government recently passed an austerity budget, raising taxes to reduce dependence on aid after many donors cut funding.

Donors accuse Malawi of mishandling the economy and failing to uphold human rights.

The protest broke out in several cities but the deaths occurred in Mzuzu, some 300km north of Lilongwe.

"I'm actually in the mortuary identifying the bodies," Rev Maurice Munthali deputy Secretary General of the Presbyterian Church of the Central Africa told the BBC.

 He said those killed had been shot, which nurses confirmed.

He said that some of those in hospital had not been demonstrating but were caught in crossfire.

Rev Munthali said he could again hear gunfire on Thursday and there was a heavy presence of security forces on the streets.

Police spokeswoman Norah Chimwala confirmed one death and more than 10 gunshot injuries.

She could not confirm if the police had caused the death.

Machetes

There have also been reports that demonstrators in the city have attacked the property of a government minister.

Some protesters are demanding President Bingu wa Mutharika's resignation.

Police fired teargas at demonstrators in Lilongwe and have set up roadblocks to prevent protesters from entering the city centre.

The owner of Malawi's private Capital Radio, Alaudin Osman, told the BBC the authorities had ordered the station to stop live broadcasts because they were allegedly aggravating the situation.

On Tuesday, supporters of President Mutharika's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), armed with machetes, smashed the vehicles of two private radio stations in the commercial capital, Blantyre.

They roamed the streets of the city, threatening to deal with anyone who took part in the protests, correspondents say.

But thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Blantyre on Wednesday, despite the threats.

High Court judge Chifundo Kachale granted the injunction that the nationwide protests were illegal in a late night ruling on Tuesday.

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, with an estimated 75% of the population living on less than $1 (60p) a day.

-BBC