Zimbabwe MPs riot over sanctions

HARARE, Thursday
Zimbabwe’s polarised parliament was yesterday forced to adjourn prematurely following a riot by legislators protesting against a Zanu PF MP trying to introduce a motion calling for the removal of Western sanctions against the country.

Wednesday’s chaos in Parliament, which was sitting for the first time this year, was a demonstration of the rising tension in Harare’s unstable coalition government.

The sanctions debate is threatening to torpedo the unity government President Robert Mugabe formed with his former arch rivals in February last year.

Current talks

Mr Mugabe’s Zanu PF last week ordered its negotiators in the current talks to stop making any concessions to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change until the sanctions are removed.

Zanu PF says MDC campaigned for the sanctions and must therefore call for their removal.

Tensions flared after British Foreign Secretary Mr David Milliband said the European Union would only consider lifting the sanctions on Mr Tsvangirai’s advice.

Zanu PF parliamentarians wanted to give notice to move a motion calling on Prime Minister Tsvangirai and his Deputy Professor Arthur Mutambara to engage the United States and the EU to lift the sanctions.