Britain’s minister for Africa Harriett Baldwin says her country supports an extension of EU sanctions against Zimbabwe and will not back its plan to return to the Commonwealth. The frosty relationship between Zimbabwe and its former colonial master had begun to thaw following the removal of former president Robert Mugabe after more than three decades in power. But the recent military crackdown on civilians that claimed more than 12 lives has the two countries at loggerheads again.

The crackdown crushed widespread protests over a fuel price hike. Baldwin visited Harare in 2018 and met President Emmerson  Mnangagwa amid signs of détente following two decades of strained relations arising from Mugabe’s hostility towards Britain and farm seizures that ruined the country's economy. Britain’s stance is a blow to Mnangagwa, who had hoped a return to the Commonwealth would end Zimbabwe's long international isolation. On Tuesday Baldwin told the International Development Committee meet...

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