Denials and confusion after Zimbabwe’s deadly election crackdown
Zim army chief denies giving shooting orders while the foreign minister confirms that armed men in Harare were not soldiers
Harare — Zimbabwe’s armed forces chief is demanding to know who ordered troops last week to break up protests against the ruling party’s election victory and why he was not informed about the decision, according to three senior government officials. Gen Philip Valerio Sibanda asked for an explanation from president-elect Emmerson Mnangagwa, his advisers and intelligence chiefs of the events on August 1 that left six people dead in the capital, Harare, and raised questions about who controls the security forces. No one shed light on what happened, according to the officials, who have details of the August 3 meeting but asked not to be identified because they are not authorised to comment. The military dramatically intervened in Zimbabwe’s political scene in November when it briefly took control of the Southern African nation and prompted the ruling party to force long-time president Robert Mugabe step down and replace him with Mnangagwa. The commander at the time, Constantino Chiweng...
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