Zanzibar was plunged into turmoil at the beginning of last week as rampaging mobs inspired by a separatist Muslim group burnt six churches and attacked people from the Tanzania mainland.

After three days of chaos, European and American governments were urging their citizens not to travel to Zanzibar.

President Jakaya Kikwete was on Wednesday forced to cut short a meeting in Arusha and come to Dar es Salaam for a crisis meeting with the members of the National Security Council over the Zanzibar issue. President of Zanzibar Dr Mohamed Ali Shein on the same day also travelled to Dar es Salaam to meet with President Kikwete.

The head of the Anglican Church in Tanzania, Bishop Valentino Mokiwa, said that, since 2001, some 25 churches have been torched in Zanzibar but no culprits have been found or punished.

(Opinion: In Zanzibar, an already bad situation could quickly become worse; where are our leaders?)

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