America Must End Any Talks With Mnangagwa, Says U.S. Top Senator

U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Monday, 06 November said President Joe Biden should not attempt to negotiate with the Zimbabwean Government led by President Emmerson Mnangagwa but should rather call out Harare over alleged egregious human rights violations.

In a statement, Senator Risch said the U.S. Government should work with its regional and international allies in support of Zimbabweans in their quest to bring about a democratic society. He said:

It is clear the Mnangagwa regime is entrenched. The United States must abandon any misguided belief that it can negotiate with Zimbabwe’s current leaders, who have a lengthy history of human rights abuses, corrupt practices, and anti-democratic actions spanning over two decades. It’s past time the Biden Administration amplifies its condemnation of this severe repression.

The United States should use every diplomatic avenue to forge a coalition of regional and global partners to act in support of the aspirations of the people of Zimbabwe, and who will not ignore the government’s manipulation of the dire democratic, economic, and humanitarian situation for its corrupt benefit.

The U.S. Foreign Relations Committee accuses Mnangagwa’s government of silencing criticism, rampant corruption, and clinging to power through illegitimate methods.

It highlighted reports by local and regional bodies, including the Southern African Development Community (SADC) that the August 2023 general elections failed to meet democratic standards.

The Committee also condemned the expulsion of 15 opposition members of parliament (MPs) and the announcement of new by-elections, saying “this strategy is consistent with past efforts to diminish the opposition’s influence in parliament.” It said:

State-sponsored violence also continues, as evidenced by the abduction and torture of the nation’s youngest member of parliament, the Honorable Takudzwa Ngadziore, which mirrors the mistreatment of other opposition parliamentarians and youth leaders in 2020.

The ongoing arrests and lengthy detentions of opposition figures, like Job Sikhala, on often questionable and politically motivated grounds, illustrate how the government uses the legal system to suppress the opposition and other critical voices.

More: Pindula News