The Zimbabwean government summoned US Ambassador Brian Nichols after President Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser, Robert O’Brien, referred to Zimbabwe, China, Russia, and Iran as “foreign adversaries” who are seeking to “sow discord and to try and damage our democracy” amidst unrest, protests, and riots across the United States.
O’Brien said, “I want to tell our foreign adversaries, whether it’s a Zimbabwe or a China, that the difference between us and you is that that officer who killed George Floyd, he’ll be investigated, he’ll be prosecuted, he’ll receive a fair trial.” He added, “The American people that want to go out and protest peacefully, they’re going to be allowed to seek redress from their government, they’re not going to be thrown in jail for peaceful protesting.”
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The US is currently experiencing nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd, an African-American man, at the hands of the police. It was yet another incident of excessive use of force by the police against African Americans. The protestors are calling for an end to police brutality and systemic oppression and racism against Black Americans.
Black Americans are discriminated against within legislative, judicial, executive, criminal justice, and societal frameworks. They form a disproportionate percentage of prison populations, and are more likely to be incarcerated–or given longer sentences–for the same crimes as their white counterparts.
China has seized upon the ongoing unrest and protests across the United States by alluding to the hypocrisy and double standards of the US government. Chinese state media and government officials are openly mocking US politicians for calling for the protection of democratic and human rights across the globe, like in Hong Kong, while simultaneously standing behind their own government, which brutally suppresses the concerns and calls for justice from its own population.
Also Read: China Accuses US of Hypocrisy Over Hong Kong, Points at Domestic Unrest and Riots
Likewise, Russian government officials, state-backed media outlets, and citizens are increasingly using hashtags like #BlackLivesMatter and #Minneapolis. RT, a Kremlin-backed media outlet, for instance, has been especially active during this period. Additionally, Russia’s deputy representative, Dmitry Polyanskiy, tweeted, “Why US denies China’s right to restore peace and order in HK while brutally dispersing crowds at home?”
Similarly, Abbas Mousavi, a spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said, “To the American people, the world has … heard your outcry over this state oppression. The American regime is pursuing violence and bullying at home and abroad.” Foreign Minister Javed Zarif edited a US government document titled “Recent Protests in Iran”, and simply crossed out every mention of Iran and replaced it with America. And Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that these incidents expose “the U.S. government’s true nature and character”, in that “the crime committed against this black man is the same thing the U.S. government has been doing against all the world”.
American has reacted strongly to this criticism. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a stern rebuke of Zarif’s tweet, by tweeting back, “You hang homosexuals, stone women and exterminate Jews.” Additionally, Pompeo and State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus both responded to Chinese criticism by describing the “risk presented by the Chinese Communist Party” to “freedom, to democracy, and to the rule of law”.
Zimbabwe, however, has strongly opposed being grouped together with China, Russia, and Iran. Foreign Minister Sibusiso Moyo said, “Zimbabwe is not and has never been an adversary of the United States of America. I have informed the US ambassador that Mr O’Brien’s allegations are false and without factual foundation whatsoever.”
His comments were echoed by Government spokesman Nick Mangwana, who said, “We prefer having friends and allies to having unhelpful adversity with any other nation including the USA.”
In addition, an unnamed government official told the state-owned newspaper, Herald, that “Anyone who has seen the genesis of recent events, from the tragic death of Mr Floyd to the subsequent protests, will realise that any accusations of Zimbabwean involvement at any stage is farcical.”
The US is the single-largest donor of aid to Zimbabwe, and thus it is reasonable to suggest that Zimbabwe would not want to endanger its relationship with the superpower. However, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokesman, George Charamba, has launched a series of tweets questioning recent events in the US, and urged Zimbabwe to summon the US ambassador to “explain the goings-on in the US”.
Relations between Zimbabwe and the US have been strained since 2002, when the Bush Administration imposed sanctions against former president Robert Mugabe and his “inner circle” over rights abuses.
In March of this year, the US also imposed sanctions on Zimbawe’s State Security minister, Owen Ncube, and its Ambassador to Tanzania, Anselem Sanyatwe. Ncube is a close ally of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and stands accused of ordering the abduction and torture of government critics during protests in 2019. Meanwhile Sanyatwe is a former commander of the presidential guard, is alleged to have deployed soldiers to attack unarmed protestors, resulting in the death of six civilians following the 2018 election.
Also Read: US Imposes Sanctions on Zimbabwean Elites for Their Role in ‘Repressive and Violent Rule’
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on Zimbabwe to “immediately end state-sponsored violence including against peaceful protestors” and investigate human rights abuses. His sentiments were echoed by Deputy Treasury Secretary Justin Muzinich, who said that the Trump administration will hold Zimbabwean ‘elites’ “accountable […] for their repressive and violent rule”.
At the time, Zimbabwe’s Foreign Affairs Minister said this would “erode trust and confidence in the relationship between Zimbabwe and the United States”. It remains to be seen whether O’Brien’s recent accusations will further destabilize this precariously placed relationship.
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