[ad_1]
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has interrupted a trip to Europe after violent demonstrations in his country.
Mnangagwa was scheduled to attend the Davos Economic Summit, where he was to look for investments for Zimbabwe.
Ministers say the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) is using the price of gasoline to raise the price of violence.
But the MDC accuses the authorities of a brutal crackdown.
How did the demonstrations start?
Mr. Mnangagwa announced a sharp increase in fuel prices earlier this month.
Price increases were supposed to fight fuel shortages, but that means Zimbabwe now has the world's most expensive fuel, according to GlobalPetrolPrices.com.
Many Zimbabweans, exhausted by years of economic hardship, suddenly discovered that they could not even afford to take the bus ticket to get to work.
This provoked angry protests in the capital, Harare, and in the southwestern town of Bulawayo.
How violent were the demonstrations?
According to the NGO forum on human rights in Zimbabwe, at least 12 people were killed and 78 were treated for gunshot wounds.
The rights group also claims that more than 240 people have been treated after being badaulted or tortured, while the opposition claims that government forces attacked people at home.
The UN has called on the government to end the "excessive use of force" by security forces, while reports report door-to-door searches and the use of real bullets.
The government has blocked Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp email applications last week, until a high court orders it to restore access.
Mnangagwa, who returned to Harare late Monday night, condemned the demonstrations, saying "everyone has the right to demonstrate, but it was not a peaceful demonstration." ".
He accused the protesters of "unjustified violence and cynical destruction" and "looting of police stations, robbery of firearms and uniforms".
[ad_2]
Source link
