Zimbabwe Warns Against Protests as It Detains Rights Activists

  • President takes over as SADC chairman at summit on Aug. 17
  • Nation crackdowns over activism ahead of summit, says HRW

Emmerson Mnangagwa 

Photographer: Amanuel Sileshi/AFP/Getty Images
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Zimbabwe warned against opposition protests before a regional summit in the country later this month, when President Emmerson Mnangagwa will assume the chairmanship of a southern African economic bloc.

The country will host heads of state for a meeting of the Southern African Development Community on Aug. 17. The authorities in the capital, Harare, are using the event to repair dilapidated infrastructure — like fixing roads and street lights — and build villas to be used by regional leaders at the site of a new area north of the city.