Washnington - US disappointment with
Zimbabwe's government keeps growing amid the heavy-handed
response of authorities to any form of opposition, a senior
State Department official said on Monday following a crackdown
last week against protesters.
"The disappointment just keeps getting worse and worse,
unfortunately," said the official, speaking on background to
reporters. "The government seems to be getting even more violent
in their response to any form of opposition."
The official said Washington had made clear to the
government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa what it would take to
improve relations between Zimbabwe and the United States. US officials have previously called on Mnangagwa to change
Zimbabwe's laws restricting media freedom and allowing protests.
Mnangagwa's government last week banned anti-government
protests by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, which
accuses the authorities of political repression and mismanaging
the economy. Police fired tear gas to disperse crowds and barred
access to the MDC's Harare offices.
Anger among the population has mounted over triple-digit
inflation, rolling power cuts and shortages of US dollars,
fuel and bread.
In March, President Donald Trump extended by one year US sanctions against 100 entities and individuals in Zimbabwe,
including Mnangagwa, saying his government had failed to bring
about political and economic changes.