By Lloyd Takawira
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration has voted against the United Nations (UN) General Assembly resolution on the responsibility to protect vulnerable nations against genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
The vote it took together with fifteen other countries including North Korea, Russia, Bolivia, Kyrgzstan, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Indonesia, Belarus, Egypt, Cuba, Syria, China, Burundi, and Eritrea was described by the UN as ‘shameful’.
The vote was however adopted as a majority of nations (115) voted in favour while 28 abstained.
Zimbabwe’s vote was described by analysts as confirmation of the true colors of the regime.
Political analysts who spoke to Bustop TV said the vote was a clear indication that the current administration had not reformed despite past atrocities like the Gukurahundi massacres.
Frank Chauke said Mnangagwa was following in his predecessor, Robert Mugabe’s footsteps abusing human rights.
“Mnangagwa and the late Robert Mugabe, who was president at the time, are some of the key ZANU PF culprits accused of orchestrating the massacres in the Midlands and Matabeleland provinces. There are so many well documented cases of human rights abuses but have not been accounted for,” he said.
Malcolm Gondongwe said, “we have the killing of more than 20 000 people between 1983 and 1987, mostly unarmed civilians from the minority Ndebele ethnic group during Gukurahundi period. We have the post electoral Violence that has seen many people in Zimbabwe loosing lives. We have seen the enforced disappearance of activists such as Itai Dzamara. We have the August 1 shootings. So it’s expecting too much from people who are anti-reform.”
Posting on his tweeter account , MDC Alliance president, Nelson Chamisa said it was tragic for Zimbabwe to try and evade scrutiny over it’s track record on human rights
“Zimbabwe’s NO vote is tragic and unacceptable.This is scandalous! We must and will correct this,” he wrote.
Zimbabwean history is replete with allegations of cowing mainly opposition MDC supporters through torture during election campaigns in the past years.
