The United States (US) on Thursday expressed alarm at new violence in Zimbabwe, accusing President Robert Mugabe’s party of carrying out the attacks ahead of possible elections this year.
“The United States is alarmed by, and condemns, the recent spate of political violence perpetrated by youths and opportunists affiliated with elements of Zanu-PF,” the US embassy in Harare said in a statement.
The statement came days after hordes of youths, some of whom were wearing Zanu-PF T-shirts, attacked traders at a popular mall in the capital.
The youths claimed they were protesting the slow implementation of equity regulations to give locals majority shares in foreign-owned firms.
“Such unlawful actions violate the global political agreement and demonstrate that the undermining of the rule of law has not changed fundamentally,” the embassy said.
“We commend the restraint shown by those victimised or affected by these assaults in not responding with violence. The US calls on all parties to sincerely renounce violence as a political tool and for the law enforcement community to uphold the rule of law without partisan bias.
MDC blamed
Zanu-PF has blamed all the cases of violence on Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party and police have arrested several members of Tsvangirai’s party.
Mugabe and Tsvangirai formed a power-sharing government in 2009 to avoid a descent into civil war in the aftermath of a bloody presidential run-off election and mend an economy ravaged by hyperinflation.
Mugabe is pushing for elections when the compromise pact expires on Friday, despite a new constitution which is supposed to pave the way for the new polls not being finalised.
As part of the power-share pact the parties agreed to draft a new constitution, as well as amend media and electoral laws to ensure free and fair elections. — Sapa-AFP