Politics

Zimbabwe opens imposing, ultra-modern parliament built by China

Published

11 months ago

November 23, 2022

Zimbabwean President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, on Wednesday, opened an imposing, multimillion dollar parliament built by the Chinese government, hailing the edifice as a result of the “excellent relations with China.”

Mnagwagwa who delivered a State of the Nation address at a new multimillion-dollar six-storey parliament building funded and constructed by the Asian country at the cost of $200 million, said it was a gift which signifies China’s growing influence in the country and the continent.

The address which also served as the official opening of the last session of the current parliament before elections next year, “marks the move from the colonial-era Victorian-style parliament building in central Harare,” the President said.

Mnangagwa described the mountaintop chamber that sits on 3.3 hectares (8 acres) of land as “majestic,” saying the building is a “testimony of the strategic and comprehensive partnership and excellent fraternal relations between Zimbabwe and China.

Apart from the construction of the parliament building, China is also involved massively in building and financing big-budget infrastructure projects in Zimbabwe including revamping major airports.

The National Defense College in Harare which opened in 2014, was financed with an interest-free $98 million loan from China, while the Asian country is also involved in almost every sector of the Zimbabwean economy, from energy to mining and agriculture.

Click to comment

Politics

EU agrees sanctions framework for actors linked to Sudan war— Sources

Published

1 day ago

October 3, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

Sources close to developments in Sudan have revealed that European Union ambassadors on Monday agreed on a framework of sanctions against actors linked to the ongoing crisis in the country.

The proposal for sanctions was submitted in July, but it was not approved until Monday. Later this month, the EU’s foreign ministers will give their final approval before the bloc can begin adding people and organisations to the list.

The sanctions are likely to be in the form of asset seizures and travel bans, similar to measures already taken by the United States, Britain, Norway and Germany, who all plan to submit a motion to the United Nations Human Rights Council to set up an investigation into alleged atrocities in Sudan, including ethnically motivated killings, a draft motion showed on Friday.

Last week, The US continued its sanctions on persons of interest in the crisis as it imposed sanctions on two companies, including one based in Russia, and one person. The move is the latest in sanctions imposed by Washington following a conflict that erupted in mid-April between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over proposals for a political transition and the incorporation of the RSF into the military, four years after long-time ruler, Omar al-Bashir was overthrown in an uprising.

The United Kingdom has also penalised at least six commercial entities in relation to the conflict which has rendered more than 5 million people displaced and killed hundreds.

Politics

Tunisian opposition leader, Ghannouchi to begin hunger strike in prison

Published

4 days ago

September 30, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

Embattled Tunisian opposition leader, Rached Ghannouchi, who has been a political prisoner since April, has threatened to begin a hunger strike in captivity.

Ghannouchi’s party, Ennahda made the announcement in a statement on Friday, stating that the 82-year-old fierce critic of President Kais Saied, has now decided to stay without food.

Ghannouchi was convicted in absentia in May after his refusal to appear before judges on the grounds that the accusations were false and the prosecution was politically motivated.

Along with other jailed opposition figures, who accuse Saied of a coup for closing the elected parliament and implementing rule by decree, he is also accused of planning against state security.

Since coming into power, President Saied has been firm on dissenting voices in the country. More than 20 political personalities, including Ghannouchi, have been detained by the police this year on suspicion of attempting to undermine state security.