‘Exploiting protests’

ZIMBABWE summoned the US ambassador over a White House official’s remarks suggesting the southern African nation was exploiting protests over the killing of black American George Floyd at the hands of US police.

US national security adviser Robert 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, prosecuted, receive a fair trial.” He said foreign adversaries would face repercussions.

The Zimbabwe government said it didn’t consider itself an adversary of the US, Zimbabwe’s biggest donor.

Yesterday, US ambassador to Zimbabwe Brian Nichols highlighted that state’s failure to bring to justice those responsible for the disappearance of opposition activists.