Mnangagwa in Moscow asking for aid as Zimbabwe descends into chaos
- Dozens injured and five reportedly killed in protests across the country against fuel price increases
Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa said he’s seeking loans from Russia on a visit to Moscow after protests erupted across his country on Monday, leaving 24 people injured and five possibly dead.
“I can’t say that we want this much or that much,” he said in an interview with the state-run Russian news agency RIA Novosti published on Tuesday before a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin announcement of the talks made no mention of loans and Moscow has in the past been reluctant to bail out struggling allies, though Russia has recently been building ties in Africa.
RIA also quoted Mnangagwa as saying Zimbabwe may need Russian help in modernising its army in the future.
In Zimbabwe, a military helicopter fired tear gas at demonstrators blocking a road and burning tires on a second day of protests after the government more than doubled the price of fuel, making it the world’s most expensive when compared to prices quoted by GlobalPetrolPrices.com.
The protests spread from the capital, Harare, to the second city of Bulawayo and some smaller towns.