Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa granted an exclusive interview to FRANCE 24, discussing the recent turmoil in his country as well as the claims of human rights violations. He also demanded respect for ousted head of state Robert Mugabe, even though "no one is above the law".
Emmerson Mnangagwa blasted the recent protest movement as a “well-organized plan", allegedly engineered by "local NGOs well-funded and by the [main] opposition" party. Zimbabwe's president said the turmoil was a "regime change" attempt.
He rejected claims of mass human rights violations by the security forces and said the rule of law was being enforced against all culprits. He said Zimbabwe would not be deterred in its bid to rejoin the Commonwealth despite the British government having expressed its opposition to such a move.
He also vividly criticized the UK’s call to the EU to slap additional sanctions on Zimbabwe, stressing that he would ask his African peers to stand against those. He said he was still open to dialogue with main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa. Finally, he said former president Mugabe and his wife should be respected but warned that "no one is above the law".
