Zimbabwe’s exiled former Foreign Affairs Minister laments global indifference

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Observer Staff Reporter

In a scathing statement released today, Walter Mzembi, Zimbabwe’s exiled former Foreign Minister, decried the international community’s waning interest in the country’s human rights crisis. Mzembi, who has been in exile in South Africa since 2017, condemned the global fatigue that has allowed the scramble for Zimbabwe’s resources to supersede concerns over human rights and legitimacy.

“Zimbabwe is no longer an issue of international interest,” Mzembi lamented. “Global fatigue has set in, and the scramble for Zimbabwe’s resources has replaced the human rights agenda. A natural condition for a slice of the resources is that you must recognize the Harare administration, putting paid to the legitimacy question that has dogged it since the disputed elections of 2018.”

Mzembi’s remarks come as the opposition in Zimbabwe faces internal challenges and external pressure from the state. The diplomatic community, he claimed, has concluded that it is easier to deal with the incumbent administration than to champion the cause of the opposition.

“What has broken the camel’s back recently is how the opposition itself has responded to its own internal challenges and exogenous factors from the state,” Mzembi stated. “The international community’s willingness to engage with the Harare administration, despite its questionable legitimacy, has effectively betrayed the people of Zimbabwe.”

Mzembi’s comments are a stark reminder of the political turmoil that has plagued Zimbabwe since the military coup in 2017, which saw President Emmerson Mnangagwa come to power. The country’s human rights record has been a subject of international concern, with reports of widespread abuses and suppression of political dissent.

As the international community increasingly turns a blind eye, Mzembi’s statement serves as a stark warning of the consequences of abandoning Zimbabwe’s people in their time of need.

Background and Context:

Walter Mzembi served as Zimbabwe’s Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2017, during the presidency of Robert Mugabe. Following the military coup in 2017, Mzembi fled to South Africa, where he has remained in exile. His statement today reflects the growing frustration among Zimbabwe’s opposition and human rights activists, who feel abandoned by the international community. The country’s political and economic crisis continues to deepen, with reports of widespread human rights abuses and suppression of political dissent.