Blast rocks Zimbabwean president’s rally
BULAWAYO: Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Saturday he narrowly survived an attempt on his life after a blast at a party rally that injured two of his vice-presidents and several party officials.
Police said yesterday 49 people were injured in the explosion, with the number expected to change.
“We expect the number to rise as some victims might come forward during the course of the day,” national police spokeswoman Charity Charamba said.
Footage circulating on social media showed an explosion and plumes of smoke around the president as he descended stairs from the podium at the city’s White City stadium.
Mnangagwa suggested he was the target of the attack, which he said also injured Vice-Presidents Kembo Mohadi and Constantino Chiwenga.
“I am used to these attempts,” Mnangagwa said, adding that an object “exploded a few inches away from me, but it is not my time”.
State broadcaster ZBC described the blast as “an assassination attempt”.
But Mnangagwa insisted that the “country is peaceful” as Zimbabwe prepares to stage its first ever elections not to feature former president Robert Mugabe on July 30.
In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a second person passed away after a deadly grenade attack in Ethiopia’s capital on Saturday injured 150 at a rally in support of new Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
“I’m so sorry to learn that we have lost another Ethiopian victim of yesterday’s attack who was in ICU at Black Lion Hospital,” Health Minister Amir Aman said on Twitter yesterday.
“My sincere sympathy and condolences to the family, friends and all Ethiopians.”
The attack was launched moments after 41-year-old Abiy, who took office in April, finished his speech to tens of thousands of people gathered here.