THE Nakonde border post was yesterday closed following a riot in which two women were wounded when police opened fire at a rampaging crowd.

Northern Province police chief Antoneil Mutentwa said the decision was made at an impromptu joint meeting of security personnel from Zambia and Tanzania after considering the security risks to both countries.

Earlier, angry residents rioted, looting shops and a bakery after word went round that a suspected ritual killer had been arrested by police when in fact it was a mere suspected thief who had been nabbed.

Mr Mutentwa said the situation became tense and the decision to close the border was aimed at preventing the spread of the commotion into Tunduma on the Tanzanian side.

There was no flow of traffic from either side and the situation would remain so until calm returned to the area.

On the wounded women, Mr Mutentwa said police opened fire at the rioting crowd and wounded two women who were now admitted to a hospital in Nakonde district.

Mr Mutentwa said one woman was shot in the leg, while the other in the arm.

He said trouble started at 12:00hours when police arrested a suspected thief whom other people thought was a ritual killer and they rushed to kill him.

After police whisked him away, the crowd looted a bakery and nearby shops in anger, forcing police to intervene.

Mr Mutentwa said the situation was still tense and reinforcement had been called in to help bring the situation under control.

There has been a number of suspected ritual murder cases recently in the area with the latest case occurring last week when police picked up a decomposed body of a man killed in mysterious circumstances near the TAZARA station.

	Copyright © 2004 The Times of Zambia. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).