PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe last night left for the 27th African Union summit in Kigali, Rwanda, amid mounting protests against his rule back home.
by BLESSED MHLANGA
Media and Information minister Christopher Mushohwe confirmed that Mugabe was on his way to Rwanda, but refused to say when his boss would be back.
“Yes, the President has left for Rwanda, Kigali. We are not sure when he will be back because it depends on the timetable there. So when the dates of his return are there, we will let you know,” he said.
The summit’s theme, African Year of Human Rights, With Particular Focus on the Rights of Women, comes at a time Mugabe’s government has been accused of gross human rights violations, including persecution of human rights defenders and activists.
In the past few weeks, police have been accused of applying brute force to crush dissent as spontaneous demonstrations triggered by the harsh economic conditions, although government has turned a deaf ear on the protesters and blamed Western countries for bankrolling the protests.
MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu said: “It shows that he (Mugabe) does not care about the generality of the people. In fact, he has acted in the manner that we expected him to do, leave the country burning and ignoring the concerns of the people, then take the little money the country has to spend in Kigali.”
The summit ends on July 18.
