ED restricted from attending the African Leaders summit to be held in United States

ED has been restricted by his personal travel sanctions for his role in undermining democracy and rights abuses at the second United States-Africa Leaders Summit in December.

Fredrick Shava the minister of foreign affairs who was appointed in 2021 was given the invitation on behalf of Zimbabwe as he is not subject to travel restrictions.

All African countries with diplomatic relations with the United States are invited to the gathering in Washington, DC from December 13-15.

Zimbabwe was snubbed for the inaugural summit in 2014, a year after then President Robert Mugabe won re-election in a disputed poll. Mugabe was ousted in a military coup in November 2017, and Mnangagwa took over.

SADC insisted that all its members should participate or else. Otherwise, the United States is escalating its hostile actions against Zimbabwe,” Charamba claimed.

US President Joe Biden has told advisers he wants a “broadly inclusive summit.”
“There are countries across the continent which struggle and are challenged on the democracy and governance side,” Dana Banks, the White House point person for the summit, said. “But it’s important to have those conversations, right? You have to be able to talk about your concerns… That is the mature engagement that we are seeking with our African partners.”

Livit Mugejo, a spokesman for Zimbabwe’s foreign affairs ministry said they were “in continuous re-engagement with the United States and any other Western country.”
“Hence, the invitation for the minister to attend the summit provides another opportunity for the government to continue with its re-engagement efforts,” he said.

The United States has been leaning on Zimbabwe’s government to end repression against critics ahead of general elections next year.
“It is imperative that Zanu PF allow full participation across the political spectrum in next year’s elections,” Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said last week. “The United States continues to stand with the Zimbabwean people against unjust actions against political opponents or assaults on Zimbabwe’s democracy by the Zanu PF.”