Zimbabwe’s Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said the army was deployed on the streets of Harare on Wednesday to disperse a violent crowd and to restore “peace and tranquility.” The presence of the army “is not to intimidate people but to ensure that law and order is maintained,” according to the minister. “They are there to assist the police,” Ziyambi said on television. “They are there as a people’s army to ensure that peace and security prevails.” Ziyambi added that he had not heard whether people were injured by the army. The troops were deployed to quell protests over this week’s presidential election, Reuters reports.