Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday vowed to investigate security forces over their brutal crackdown on protesters, as he scrambled to fend off international criticism and restore order on his return to the country.
The crackdown has underlined fears of a return to the violent repression of Robert Mugabe, who was ousted from power by the military 14 months ago.
“Violence or misconduct by our security forces is unacceptable and a betrayal of the new Zimbabwe,” Mnangagwa said on Twitter. “Chaos and insubordination will not be tolerated. Misconduct will be investigated. If required, heads will roll.”
Photo: Reuters
He also sharply criticized last week’s protests, which were marked by rioting and looting.
“Everyone has the right to protest, but this was not a peaceful protest. Wanton violence and cynical destruction,” he said. “This is not the Zimbabwean way.”
Mnangagwa issued his statement after landing in Harare, having cut short a foreign tour seeking much-needed investment.
The protests, which were sparked by the government’s more than doubling of fuel prices, were met with a ruthless response from the army and police.
At least 12 people were killed and 78 treated for gunshot injuries, according to the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, which recorded more than 240 incidents of assault and torture. About 700 people have been arrested.
Mnangagwa said raising fuel prices “was not a decision we took lightly, but it was the right thing to do.”
“What followed was regrettable and tragic,” he added.
Mnangagwa, 76, had visited Russia, Belarus and Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan before cutting short his trip before his planned attendance at the Davos summit of world leaders this week.
He has repeatedly pledged a fresh start for Zimbabwe since he came to power in November 2017 after Mugabe was toppled, ending 37 years in office that were marked by authoritarian rule and economic collapse.
However, Zimbabweans have seen little evidence of the promised economic revival or increased political freedoms.
The UN human rights office criticized the government’s reaction to the protests, which were fueled by daily shortages of banknotes, fuel, food and medicine, as well as mass unemployment.
Accused of conducting a deadly crackdown on dissent, the army and police denied any wrongdoing, saying some assailants raiding homes and beating people were wearing official uniforms to pose as security personnel.
The High Court in Harare on Monday ruled that government had no powers to order the shutdown of the Internet that was imposed as protests swept across the nation.
Handing down judgement in a case brought by human rights lawyers and journalists, judge Owen Tagu said “it has become very clear that the minister had no authority to make that directive.”
Internet and social media appeared to be partially returning to normal yesterday morning.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was