Zambia shuts top universities after student riots

Lusaka - Authorities in Zambia on Wednesday closed the country's top two public universities after students went on the rampage protesting at non-payment of food and book allowances.

University of Zambia students burnt tyres and used logs to barricade the main road leading from the airport into the capital city Lusaka in protests that started late on Tuesday, according to police.

Their peers at the Copperbelt University in the central city of Kitwe also staged violent protests, prompting the authorities to send students home.

"Due to the lack of a conducive environment for learning at the two universities, it has been decided that the two universities close indefinitely," Higher Education Minister Michael Kaingu said in a statement.

Police said they had arrested than two dozen protesters for riotous behaviour.