Police clashed with demonstrators protesting against human rights abuses in Uganda yesterday as violence marred the opening of the Commonwealth summit by the Queen.

Three people were seriously injured when more than 100 baton-wielding police blocked a march. Opposition leaders said that the Commonwealth should be approving sanctions against Uganda instead of allowing it to host the summit. The rally in Kampala was called by Uganda’s main opposition party, which accuses President Museveni’s Government of ballot-rigging and infringing civil rights.

One banner carried by protesters read: “Queen, you are the head of our problems!” The Opposition said that the cost of hosting the summit was twice the amount pledged by the Government for urgent flood relief. “What is happening in Pakistan also happened here,” said Kizza Besigye, leader of the Forum for Democratic Change. “Musharraf has been asked to leave the Commonwealth. Why not here?”

Pakistan reacted angrily to Thursday’s decision to suspend it from the 53-country organisation. Islamabad said that the decision was “unreasonable and unjustified”, and threatened to pull out altogether.

In Kampala, Thabo Mbeki, the South African President, reported to fellow leaders after holding talks with President Mugabe of Zimbabwe on his way to the three-day summit.

Mr Mbeki said that he was making good progress in his attempt to mediate between Mr Mugabe’s party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, led by Morgan Tsvangirai.

Gordon Brown held out the prospect of a reconstruction package for Zimbabwe if Mr Mugabe allowed elections due to take place early next year to be free and fair.

While there is scepticism about Mr Mugabe’s intentions, British and Commonwealth officials say that Mr Mbeki has made progress in his attempt to secure conditions for the elections in March, including the appointment of an independent electoral commission and an end to violence against opposition figures.

Mr Brown’s spokesman said last night: “We welcome President Mbeki’s mediation, which we understand is making good progress. We hope and expect that if any agreement is reached it will be delivered.”

Mr Mbeki has long been regarded as the key to any progress towards tackling Zimbabwe’s problems.

Mr Tsvangirai has been talking to leaders in Uganda this week. Mr Mugabe has once again been the spectre at the feast, excluded — Zimbabwe was expelled from the Commonwealth in 2003 — but as ever is the subject of conversation. Also in Kampala have been human rights activists trying to draw attention to the plight of Zimbabwe.

Meanwhile, Mr Brown attempted to put education at the heart of the Commonwealth agenda as he unveiled a multimillion-pound package to help schools in Africa. London is to give £106 million to Nigeria over the next six years to fund the building of 4,000 classrooms and provide resources for up to 2,000 schools. The money is on top of the £100 million already earmarked for the West African nation for the coming year, government officials said.

Britain will also provide more than £50 million by the end of the decade for scholarship and study awards to help young people to go to university.

After touring a state-run primnary school, Mr Brown told pupils: “There are 77 million children who don’t have a school to go to because there are not enough teachers. There are no buildings, there's no books, there’s no equipment. We want every single child in the world to go to school.”

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