Ruling party youths strip 'slut' dressers

Twenty members of Zambia's ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy were arrested after hundreds of youths stripped women naked in the streets for wearing miniskirts or trousers.

The men said they were acting in the name of their new President, Levy Mwanawasa, to enforce "official or smart casual dress" during the rampage through the capital, Lusaka, on Monday. Zambian newspapers quoted youths as saying they believed the President wanted an end to "suggestive and provocative" or "slut" dressing by women.

But President Mwanawasa condemned their behaviour as a disgrace and an attempt to deny Zambian women freedom of dress. His spokesman, Arthur Yoyo, said: "It is a presidential directive that the youths involved be firmly dealt with by law enforcers."

Zambia is a deeply conservative country. The incident was expected to embarrass President Mwanawasa, who had had to cope with rioting by opposition supporters in Lusaka. The protesters claimed that he had won the presidential elections last month by rigging the vote.

He also committed a series of gaffes during the election campaign, such as referring to the former president Frederick Chiluba as his sister.