There have been several reactions to the military takeover in Zimbabwe which has led to the detention of the country’s President Robert Mugabe and the arrest of some of his cabinet ministers.
First to give an update on the state of the 93-year-old leader was South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma whose government issued a statement and also released a video commenting on Mugabe’s well-being.
Zuma said Mr. Mugabe had been “confined to his home” but “fine”.
The president of Guinea, Alpha Conde who is also the chairman of the African Union has described the military take over as an action that looked like a coup.
The AFP reported that Mr. Conde said in a statement that “The African Union expresses its serious concern regarding the situation unfolding in Zimbabwe,”
The statement said the AU wants “constitutional order to be restored immediately and calls on all stakeholders to show responsibility and restraint.”
The United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appealed for calm and restraint in Zimbabwe. His spokesman, Farhan Haq, said the UN secretary-general was monitoring “the evolving situation”, according to the AFP.
The UN Secretary General’s spokesperson further said “Preservation of fundamental rights, including freedom of speech and assembly, is of vital importance.”
The European Union also issued a statement calling for a “peaceful resolution” to the crisis in Zimbabwe.
A spokesperson was quoted by the BBC as saying that “The recent political developments in Zimbabwe, and their spillover, including in relation to the country’s security forces, are a matter of concern.”
“We call on all the relevant players to move from confrontation to dialogue with the aim to a peaceful resolution,” The spokesperson added.
The British Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson has also reacted to the crisis saying it is “crucial” for Zimbabweans to refrain from violence.
Boris Johnson said “At the moment it’s very fluid and it’s hard to say exactly how this will turn out.”
He further said “I think the most important point to make is that everybody wants to see a stable and successful Zimbabwe. I think we’re really appealing for everybody to refrain from violence. That’s the crucial thing.”
The President of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari has also called for calm, peace and respect. His spokesperson, Garba Shehu issued the statement of the President on Twitter.
President @MBuhari has called for calm, peace and respect for the constitution in Zimbabwe.
— Garba Shehu (@GarShehu) November 15, 2017
The President urged all political and military stakeholders in Zimbabwe to avoid any action that may plunge the country into unnecessary conflict and impact negatively on the region.
— Garba Shehu (@GarShehu) November 15, 2017
According to President Buhari, “every attempt must be made to resolve all contentious issues by constitutional means in Zimbabwe to save the country from avoidable political instability.”
— Garba Shehu (@GarShehu) November 15, 2017
Zimbabwe’s biggest trading partner is China, the country’s foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang issued a statement saying “As a country that is friendly with Zimbabwe, we are paying close attention to developments of the situation in Zimbabwe.”
“Maintaining peaceful and stable development accords with the fundamental interests of Zimbabwe and regional countries is the common desire of the international community. We hope the relevant parties in Zimbabwe appropriately handle their internal matters,” Geng Shuang added.
The military said in a broadcast on Wednesday shortly after gun shots and explosions were heard in Harare that what has occurred was not “a military takeover of government” and stated that President Robert Mugabe was safe.
Robert Mugabe has been leader of Zimbabwe since 1980 after leading his country to gain independence from the British.
Source: Africafeeds.com
