With Zimbabwe’s Economy Sinking, Mnangagwa Ramps Up Repression

With Zimbabwe’s Economy Sinking, Mnangagwa Ramps Up Repression
Police surround supporters of opposition leader Nelson Chamisa who had gathered to hear him speak in Harare, Zimbabwe, Nov. 20, 2019 (AP photo by Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi).

Editor’s Note: Every Friday, Andrew Green curates the top news and analysis from and about the African continent.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa is stifling any form of public protest against his government as Zimbabwe’s economy keeps sinking. Police violently disrupted an opposition party gathering in Harare on Wednesday, firing tear gas and beating people with batons, and more repression looks likely. Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa warned his followers, “Our country is burning.”

The latest crackdown comes after the government fired more than 200 doctors for participating in a months-long strike over low pay and poor working conditions. Earlier this month, police blocked a protest by civil servants by physically preventing them from leaving their union office. Regime critics have also been kidnapped, beaten and warned against speaking out against Mnangagwa.

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