Zimbabwe’s president Emmerson Mnangagwa has cut short his overseas trip to deal with mounting challenges back home.
Mnangagwa who was on a two-week eastern Europe visit, was expected to jet to the Davos to attended the World Economic Forum.
However, after a week of protests following the decision to hike fuel prices, the president will head home to seemingly calm the storm.
Zimbabwe has seen days of unrest since Mnangagwa made an announcement more than doubling fuel prices that made the struggling country’s gasoline the most expensive in the world.
Through a post on his official twitter page, the president announced he would be represented by Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube as he sought to restore calm.
“In light of the economic situation, I will be returning home after a highly productive week of bilateral trade and investment meetings. We will be ably represented in Davos by Minister of Finance, Mthuli Ncube. The first priority is to get Zimbabwe calm, stable and working again,” he said.
In light of the economic situation, I will be returning home after a highly productive week of bilateral trade and investment meetings. We will be ably represented in Davos by Minister of Finance, Mthuli Ncube. The first priority is to get Zimbabwe calm, stable and working again.
— President of Zimbabwe (@edmnangagwa) January 20, 2019
At Davos, he had planned to appeal for foreign investment and loans to the southern African nation, but the visit had been expected to be a challenge.
Growing frustration over rising inflation, a severe currency crisis and fuel lines that stretch for miles finally snapped after Mnangagwa announced the fuel price increase.
More than 600 people have been arrested since the protests began.
In what critics have called an attempt to cover up abuses, the government in the past few days has imposed an internet shutdown across the country.
The High Court is expected to hear a case challenging the internet restrictions. Although access to the internet is back, social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp are still blocked.
