Blantyre, Malawi - The American embassy in the Malawi capital, Lilongwe, Thursday issued an alert to American citizens living in the city to exercise 'caution' following clashes between street vendors and the police. 'We suggest having several days' worth of provisions in your residence, as we saw stores close unexpectedly during 20 July demonstrations,' reads the alert, e-mailed to all American citizens in the city, referring to the unprecedented 20 July, 2011, anti-government demonstrations.

The alert follows skirmishes in the city as police clashed with irate street vendors who had their stalls, erected haphazardly along the streets, taken down by police at dawn Thursday. Police spokesman Kingsley Dandaula said police were on a routine patrol to keep the city clean.

'Some vendors are resisting doing their trading in the flea markets,' he said. 'We have to maintain order.'

Vehicles, including police patrol cars, were smashed during the fracas as several shops mainly belonging to Chinese and Indians traders were looted. Local traders were also not spared as a woman, running a garments shop in the city's busy Malangalanga Street , told of how her entire investment was looted:

'I had over 200 men's suits...they are all gone!' she lamented. 'I'm disappointed; they have destroyed my life.'

According to Dandaula, several people were injured as they tried to save their merchandise. Others were also injured for being in the wrong place at a wrong time. Chijere Mwase, a businessman, told national radio he was trying to reason with the vendors to leave innocent shop owners alone when he was attacked.

'I was stripped of everything in my pockets and beaten severely,' he said, adding that he was left for dead with blood all over his body.

When things went out of control police lobbed teargas canisters into the rowdy crowds of vendors and fired rubber bullets. Several vendors were rounded up but police spokesman Dandaula could not say how many.

'The operation is still on,' he said.

But despite the teargas, rubber bullets and arrests, police could still not keep the situation under control as they were outnumbered by the vendors. The army was eventually called in to assist.

By noon, most offices, banks and shops were closed and workers were sent home early.

'I had to walk home for minibuses are not operating,' said a bank teller. 'We're not sure whether we will open the bank tomorrow for things are still tense.'

Army officers could be seen driving in their TATA trucks along the streets, removing burning tyres and boulders off the roads. An uneasy calm returned to the streets by mid-afternoon.

The vendors claim that soon after the unprecedented anti-government demonstrations on 20 July, where thousands of Malawians poured into the streets to protest worsening political and economic situation, President Bingu wa Mutharika asked them to trade wherever they wanted.

'Bingu came here and told us no one should harass us, so where are these people getting the authority to chase us?' said one of the vendors who identified himself as Kingsley.

In the aftermath of the 20 July demonstrations, President Mutharika threw beer parties for street vendors and made whistle-stop tours around the main cities of Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu where he urged the vendors not to heed civil society calls for them to join anti-government protests. A vendor spokesman complained to the President that police and city authorities harass them upon which Mutharika ordered that 'you can trade wherever you want and no one should harass my vendors'.

But Lilongwe City Assembly Chief Executive Kelvin Mmangisa and deputy Local Government Minister Chimango Mughogho said there had not been any change in policy regarding street vending.

'We constructed flea markets for vendors and that's where they have to be,' he said.

On her part, Mughogho said street vending was not allowed in Malawi not only to ensure cleanliness in cities but also to curb crime.

'Government wants to preserve order, one of the ways is to clear the streets,' she said.

The latest citizens' running battles with the police comes amid growing disaffection with the Mutharika administration following worsening political and economic situation in the impoverished southern African country. Most Western donor countries and agencies - including the governments of Great Britain, Germany and the US and multilateral agencies like the International Monitory Fund (IMF) and the European Union - either reduced or suspended all budget support to Malawi in reaction to poor economic and political governance. This has led to scarcity in foreign money and fuel with motorists spending days and nights at service stations.

This has caused a run on transport and commodity prices.

Pana 05/01/2012