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Africa Subsaharan
Rwanda: Prosecution Pins Rusesabagina on Financing a Terror Group
2021-04-02
[All Africa] Prosecution on Wednesday, March 31, revealed in detail to court how Paul Rusesabagina
...the child of a Hutu father and a Tutsi mother, he was the hotel manager portrayed in the film Hotel Rwanda about the 1994 Tutsi massacre. Subsequent to those events he and his family moved first to Brussels, then Texas. Once his family was safely settled out of the way, he formed the Movement for Democratic Change in Rwanda (MRCD) which has an armed wing, the National Liberation Front (FLN), because he found the current government of Rwanda unacceptable. It turns out some people think that makes him a terrorist...
financed terrorism activities during his reign as president of MRCD.Just like during the previous two hearings, Rusesabagina did not attend Wednesday's trial following his pronouncement before court on March 12 that he would no longer attend hearings.

His decision followed a court ruling that rejected his request to push trial for six months.

He is among 21 individuals being tried at the High Court Special Chamber for International and Cross-border Crimes over accusations linked to terrorism committed by MRCD-FLN.

His co-accused attended the hearing that is presided over by high court judge Antoine Muhima.

Rusesabagina faces nine charges including formation of an irregular gang, membership of a terrorist group, financing terrorism, murder as an act of terrorism, and abduction as an act of terrorism.

Other counts are armed robbery as an act of terrorism, arson as an act of terrorism, attempted murder as an act of terrorism, and assault and battery as an act of terrorism.

According to prosecution, on the charge of financing terrorism, Rusesabagina on several occasions personally sent money to 'General' Wilson Irategeka, who was the leader of FLN, to run terror activities of the militia group based in D.R. Congo.

Irategeka was eventually killed in a military offensive by DR Congo military against gangs operating in the country.

During Wednesday's hearing, Claudine Dushimimana, a National Prosecutor, mentioned that during interrogations, Rusesabagina admitted sending a total of $20,000 to FLN, adding that, there were also other sums of money that would be collected through fundraisings organized by MRCD and contributions by members of the coalition.
Related:
Paul Rusesabagina: 2006-06-01 Rwandan president scoffs at "Hotel Rwanda"
Link


Africa Subsaharan
U.S. Increasingly Disappointed With Zimbabwe Government: U.S. Official
2019-08-27
WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - U.S. disappointment with Zimbabwe's government keeps growing amid the heavy-handed response of authorities to any form of opposition, a senior State Department official said on Monday following a crackdown last week against protesters.

"The disappointment just keeps getting worse and worse, unfortunately," said the official, speaking on background to reporters. "The government seems to be getting even more violent in their response to any form of opposition."

The official said Washington had made clear to the government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa what it would take to improve relations between Zimbabwe and the United States. U.S. officials have previously called on Mnangagwa to change Zimbabwe's laws restricting media freedom and allowing protests.

Mnangagwa's government last week banned anti-government protests by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, which accuses the authorities of political repression and mismanaging the economy. Police fired tear gas to disperse crowds and barred access to the MDC's Harare offices.

Anger among the population has mounted over triple-digit inflation, rolling power cuts and shortages of U.S. dollars, fuel and bread.

In March, President Donald Trump extended by one year U.S. sanctions against 100 entities and individuals in Zimbabwe, including Mnangagwa, saying his government had failed to bring about political and economic changes.

Make no mistake, UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson and our very own Henry Kissinger were the architects of Rhodesia's doom. Robert Mugabe showed such unlimited potential. The late Ian Smith predicted the outcome many decades ago.
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Africa Subsaharan
Police, soldiers patrol Zimbabwe's Bulawayo as opposition protest thwarted
2019-08-20
BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe (Reuters) - Hundreds of police backed by soldiers and army helicopters deployed in the Zimbabwean city of Bulawayo on Monday to prevent an opposition protest from taking place, a show of force that stopped a demonstration for the second time in four days.

The Movement for Democratic Change’s (MDC) had called the Bulawayo event as it looks to rally support against President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government, which it accuses of ruling with an authoritarian streak and blames for the country’s worst economic crisis in a decade.
Link


Africa Subsaharan
Mnangagwa accuses West of ‘backing violence’ in Zimbabwe
2019-02-02
[CAPITALFM.CO.KE] Zim-bob-we’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday accused western countries of supporting violent countrywide protests last month that were sparked by a huge rise in fuel prices.

At least 12 civilians died and hundreds more were maimed following a joint police and military crackdown on protesters after shops were looted and set on fire.

"We regret the loss of life but we needed to protect property as well as other citizens not involved in the protests," Mnangagwa told local news hounds.

"We have told the western countries that they cannot turn around and raise concerns when they are the ones sponsoring the violence," the privately-owned NewsDay newspaper quoted Mnangagwa as saying.

Authorities have blamed the protests on the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party and on non-governmental organizations that they said were backed by western governments.

When he took over from Bob Muggsy Mugabe
Nonagenarian President-for-Life of Zim-bob-we who turned the former Breadbasket of Africa into the African Basket Case. Dumped in November 2017 when the Missus decided she wanted to be president, and opposed heer might against Crocodile Mnangawa Important safety tip: If your opponent goes by the name Crocodile andf your title is Shopper in Chief let him win....
 in 2017, Mnangagwa pledged to revive the moribund economy and attract foreign investment by ending the country’s international isolation.

Police have tossed in the slammer
Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up!
 more than 1,100 people, including opposition politicians, trade unionists and even some children as part of the crackdown, which has been criticised by the US, the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
 and Britannia as well as by rights groups.

Mnangagwa, who won a disputed election in July, also announced a package of measures for state workers after strikes by doctors and teachers over poor pay.
Link


Africa Subsaharan
Zimbabwe Faces Fresh Protests Amid Collapsing Economy
2019-01-14
[All Africa] Zim-bob-we is set for a new wave of public protests following a deepening economic crisis marked by closure of companies and skyrocketing prices of basic commodities, among them fuel.

This past weekend, President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced a threefold increase in the price of fuel, a scarce commodity, to $3,11 a litre (R43,01) for diesel and $3,31 petrol (R45,9).

The prices are effective immediately.

Mnangagwa attributed the increases to persistent shortfalls in the fuel market, largely blaming rampant illegal currency and fuel trading activities.

"To curb continued misuse of fuel in the country, Government, through relevant departments which include its security structures, have started on a comprehensive audit of all fuel draw-downs with a view to establishing points of leakages," he said.

The hike comes amid a major company manufacturing basic commodities announcing its closure due to the scarcity of cash in the country.

Wilmar Group announced closure on Friday citing foreign currency deficits of US$11 million (R152,24 million) to service debts.

The country's largest beverage company, Delta Corporation, has threatened to shut down in the next three weeks if the economic situation did not improve.

The Zim-bob-we National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) said the fuel increases would worsen the hardships of the poverty-stricken majority.

Zim-bob-we battles unemployment estimated at 90 percent.

Nelson Chamisa, leader of the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Alliance, said the party would mobilise workers and party supporters to march against the rising cost of living.

Link


Africa Subsaharan
Zimbabwe: Chamisa Readies Supporters for National Shut Down
2018-11-07
[All Africa] The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) President, Nelson Chamisa has vowed not to back off from his planned mass protests to force President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government out of power.

Chamisa who is on a national tour, speaking to party supporters on the way forward following his electoral loss in the July 30 harmonised elections told thousands of Beitbridge residents that he will soon give a signal on the envisaged action.

"After touring the whole country I will give you a signal so that we all follow the direction. Beyond a thank you I have also come to tell you that this is the direction we are taking.

"Prepare as we are going to announce how we intend to enrol our program of action in peace. The country's constitution allows for protests according to the section 59. If you are with us we will not back off. We are with you," he said.

Chamisa dismissed President Emmerson Mnangagwa as an illegitimate whose foreign engagements will not bear any fruits until the "political impasse born out of disputed election" is resolved.

Link


Africa Subsaharan
Zimbabwe opposition figure fleeing arrest denied asylum in Zambia
2018-08-09
[Al Jazeera] A top Zim-bob-wean opposition official that fled to Zambia has been denied asylum and is expected to face arrest at home as concerns rose over a government crackdown after last week's disputed presidential election.

Tendai Biti, Zim-bob-we's former finance minister and a leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), claimed asylum in Zambia on Wednesday after making a dash for the border, reportedly facing charges of inciting post-election violence in Zim-bob-we.

Biti said he is going to be deported, according to Dewa Mavinga of Human Rights Watch.

Mavhinga said Biti told him: "It looks like they have made a decision to hand us back to the junta. We are truly in God's hands."

Biti's plight follows scenes of the military opening fire in the streets of Zim-bob-we's capital a week ago, killing six people, and growing opposition claims of harassment.

The events further challenged assertions by newly elected President Emmerson Mnangagwa of a "flowering" of democracy after longtime leader Bob Muggsy Mugabe
Nonagenarian President-for-Life of Zim-bob-we who turned the former Breadbasket of Africa into the African Basket Case. Dumped in November 2017 when the Missus decided she wanted to be president, and opposed heer might against Crocodile Mnangawa Important safety tip: If your opponent goes by the name Crocodile andf your title is Shopper in Chief let him win....
 stepped down in November under military pressure.

The MDC has denounced Mnangagwa's July 30 election victory as fraudulent and vowed to challenge it in court this week.

According to Zim-bob-we's state-run Chronicle newspaper, Biti is among nine suspects sought for inciting protests last week at which the army opened fire, killing six people.
Link


Africa Subsaharan
Zimbabwe opposition in court over post-vote violence
2018-08-06
[DAWN] Members of Zimbabwe’s defeated opposition party appeared in court on Saturday on violence charges, a day after President Emmerson Mnangagwa was declared winner of the historic first elections following the downfall of Robert Mugabe.
Bob was supporting MDC and Chamisa in this election.
Mnangagwa, a former Mugabe ally, has called for unity after presidential rival Nelson Chamisa rejected the results, insisting he was the real winner of an election marred by a deadly crackdown on opposition supporters.

At least six people died after troops in the capital Harare opened fire on demonstrators on Wednesday, sparking an international outcry and raising grim memories of post-election violence under Mugabe’s repressive rule.

Mnangagwa has accused Chamisa’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) of fomenting the unrest, but said he would set up an independent commission to investigate the killings.

The 24 opposition members appearing in court were charged with “public violence” during the protests, accused of smashing windows at offices of the ruling ZANU-PF party and setting fire to vehicles.

Link


Africa Subsaharan
Zimbabwe opposition angry with delay of poll results
2018-08-01
[PRESSTV] Zim-bob-we's opposition accused the election commission on Tuesday of deliberately delaying results of this week's vote to favor the ruling party, reporting irregularities in the first poll since the removal of Bob Muggsy Mugabe
Nonagenarian President-for-Life of Zim-bob-we who turned the former Breadbasket of Africa into the African Basket Case. Dumped in November 2017 when the Missus decided she wanted to be president, and opposed heer might against Crocodile Mnangawa Important safety tip: If your opponent goes by the name Crocodile andf your title is Shopper in Chief let him win....
 in a November coup.

Even though the election passed off peacefully, several water cannon trucks patrolled outside the central Harare headquarters of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) as its red-shirted supporters danced in the streets.

Some local results from parallel parliamentary elections have been declared but the Zim-bob-we Electoral Commission (ZEC) has yet to produce any figures from Monday's presidential vote.

ZEC chief Priscilla Chigumba said the presidential election result may not be ready until Saturday.

Former MDC finance minister Tendai Biti and ZESN, the main domestic election monitor, said one in five polling stations - more than 2,000 in all - had not physically posted tallies on their doors, as required by law.

That omission gave room for the ZEC, which ZESN and the opposition have accused of bias, to manipulate the results in favor of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the ruling ZANU-PF party, Biti said.

"There is a deliberate delay in formally announcing results," Biti told a news conference, characterizing it as "interference with the people's will."

ZESN and other civil society groups were preparing a legal challenge to force the results into the open, Biti said.

ZEC said there was no rigging or cheating in the vote, whose credibility is vital in Zim-bob-we's attempts to emerge from the pariah status and economic decay into which it sank in the latter half of Mugabe's nearly four decades in charge.

However,
the hip bone's connected to the leg bone...
 ZEC did not explain the failure by the polling stations to post results.

The poll is a two-horse race between 75-year-old Mnangagwa, a long-serving security chief who took over after Mugabe's removal, and 40-year-old MDC leader Nelson Chamisa.

Link


Africa Subsaharan
Zimbabwe’s president courts white voters ahead of election
2018-07-23
[DAWN] Zim-bob-we’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa addressed a crowd of white voters on Saturday in an attempt improve relations ahead of a July 30 election, a marked shift from his predecessor Bob Muggsy Mugabe
Nonagenarian President-for-Life of Zim-bob-we who turned the former Breadbasket of Africa into the African Basket Case. Dumped in November 2017 when the Missus decided she wanted to be president, and opposed heer might against Crocodile Mnangawa Important safety tip: If your opponent goes by the name Crocodile andf your title is Shopper in Chief let him win....
 whose policies became increasingly racially divisive
...politicians call things divisive when when the other side sez something they don't like. Their own statements are never divisive, they're principled...
Mnangagwa, who came to power when Mugabe was removed in a de facto coup in November, is on the campaign trail ahead of what is expected to be a tight contest with his main rival, Nelson Chamisa, the 40-year-old leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

The white Zim-bob-weans who are left in the country ‐ estimated at around 30,000 ‐ would usually vote MDC or for another opposition party, given the strained relationship with Mnangagwa’s ruling ZANU-PF.

But Mnangagwa, a 75-year-old former Mugabe ally, has pledged to fix racial divisions and end the violent seizure of white-owned commercial farms, a policy that Mugabe said was intended to redress post-colonial imbalances.

Many farms ended up in the hands of powerful politicians, soldiers or local chiefs and fell into disrepair. "I know of some chiefs who have moved from one farm to another. Then they run it down. Then he leaves that farm and he is issued another one. He runs it down. That time is gone," Mnangagwa told a crowd of several hundred white Zim-bob-weans in Borrowdale, a wealthy suburb in the capital Harare.
Link


-Obits-
Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai dies
2018-02-15
[Al Jazeera] Zim-bob-we opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has died aged 65 after a battle with cancer, party officials have said.
At least he hung on long enough to see Bob and Grace shown the door.
Elias Mudzuri, a vice president of the Movement for Democratic Change party, reported Tsvangirai's death in a post on Twitter on Wednesday.

"It is sad for me to announce that we have lost our icon and fighter for democracy," Mudzuri wrote.

Tsvangirai had been in and out of hospital in South Africa after revealing in 2016 that he had colon cancer.

Read more about Tsvangirai here, and watch a 2009 interview with him here.

He served as prime minister under ex-President Bob Muggsy Mugabe
Nonagenarian President-for-Life of Zim-bob-we who turned the former Breadbasket of Africa into the African Basket Case. Dumped in November 2017 when the Missus decided she wanted to be president, and opposed heer might against Crocodile Mnangawa Important safety tip: If your opponent goes by the name Crocodile andf your title is Shopper in Chief let him win....
 in a 2009-2013 unity government.

Obert Gutu, party front man, confirmed Tsvangirai's death on Twitter, calling him "a political icon, a humble and tenacious fighter for the creation of a peaceful, stable, democratic and progressive nation state in Zim-bob-we".

Last week, Tsvangirai had taken to Twitter to play down speculation that his illness was terminal.

"I have cancer and [am] not feeling too well, but I am stable and the process is under control. ... I am recovering," he wrote on February 6.

Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa, reporting from Harare, said that people in Zim-bob-we's capital were "shocked" at the news of his death.
Sounds like he was too.
Link


Africa Subsaharan
Zimbabwe Lifts Counter-Sanctions Against Europe
2018-02-13
[All Africa] Zim-bob-we will invite international observers to monitor its elections later this year, signaling a shift in relations with Europe, whose observer missions the deposed administration of Bob Muggsy Mugabe
Nonagenarian President-for-Life of Zim-bob-we who turned the former Breadbasket of Africa into the African Basket Case. Dumped in November 2017 when the Missus decided she wanted to be president, and opposed heer might against Crocodile Mnangawa Important safety tip: If your opponent goes by the name Crocodile andf your title is Shopper in Chief let him win....
 barred from attending.

The European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
 (EU) have not been invited since 2000 when Mugabe accused Western nations of impartiality and using the opposition to effect regime change. This was in reaction to the EU slapping his government with sanctions for alleged electoral fraud and human rights
...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless...
 violations.

Tensions have eased with new president, Emmerson Mnangagwa at the helm.

He has assured the international community of credible, free and fair elections scheduled for July, hence his pledge EU, Unites States of America (USA) and United Nations
...the Oyster Bay money pit...
 (UN) observers would be invited.

Addressing ruling party, Zanu-PF supporters in Mvuma, some 200km south of Harare, Mnangagwa also reiterated the call for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and African Union
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
 (AU) to deploy observer teams.

"There is nothing to hide. We want a peaceful and a transparent election. There is no reason for Zanu-PF or any other political party to be violent," Mnangagwa said.

He said the ruling party supporters should desist from violence against opposition activists.

"All citizens belong to one nation, which is Zim-bob-we," Mnangagwa said.

His party, under Mugabe, has been accused of unleashing violence against the opposition to maintain a stranglehold on power since independence from Britannia in 1980.

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) of ailing former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and National People's Party (NPP) of Mugabe's former Deputy, Joice Mujuru, are seen offering the biggest challenge to Zanu-PF.

Link



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