NEW YORK — Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appealed for patience for his efforts to pull his country out of an economic collapse and called on the U.S. and Europe to lift “illegal sanctions” that he blames for slowing down the recovery.
Mnangagwa made no mention during an address Wednesday to the U.N. General Assembly of alleged political repression under his rule, which has diminished hopes that Zimbabwe had been on the brink of change following the ouster of longtime leader Robert Mugabe, who died earlier this month.
More than 50 government critics and activists have been abducted in Zimbabwe this year, at times tortured and warned by suspected state security agents to back off from anti-government actions. Critics have accused Mnangagwa of resorting to strong-armed tactics as opposition to his government grows.
The Associated Press
