Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, came to Zimbabwe on Monday to meet with Emmerson Mnangagwa and talk about how the two countries can work together more closely in a number of areas.
For a two-day visit, Lukashenko arrived in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, where he was welcomed by Mnangagwa and thousands of members of the ruling party.
Russia has close ties with these two nations. Zimbabwe has asserted neutrality and declined to denounce Moscow, while Belarus has supported Russia’s invasion of the former Soviet nation of Ukraine.
On Tuesday, the two presidents want to talk. According to a statement from Zimbabwe’s Foreign Ministry, the meetings are intended to deepen “great existing relations” in fields like politics, mining, and agriculture.
Agence France-Presse said, “The visit is historic because it is the first time President Lukashenko has done something like this in a sub-Saharan African country.”
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Since 1994, Lukashenko has been in charge. In a fiercely fought election that was widely criticised as a farce and was met with widespread demonstrations, he was reelected in 2020. According to The Associated Press, Lukashenko’s regime forcefully suppressed protesters, arresting over 35,000 people and torturing thousands more.
Mnangagwa’s tenure in office has been brief; he took over in 2017 when Robert Mugabe, who had led the country for the preceding 37 years, was forced to step down due to many human rights violations. Mnangagwa has encountered comparable controversy.
Both Lukashenko and Mnangagwa have been accused of being corrupt and putting down dissent to limit free speech. Both have denied these claims.
The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse contributed some information to this story.
