Mugabe’s India trip cut short
President Robert Mugabe cut short his attendance of a three-day Indian cultural festival from which other heads of state earlier withdrew, citing security concerns.
|||Harare - President Robert Mugabe cut short his attendance of a three-day Indian cultural festival, World Culture Festival, citing security concerns.
The Zimbabwean President left for India on Monday to attend the event, which Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and other African presidents were not even attending, as they had sent either junior ministers, legislators or former presidents.
He was supposed to be out of the country for 10 days.
Mugabe’s Press Secretary George Charamba, in a statement Wednesday night, said: “His Excellency the President RG Mugabe, has called off his engagement in India, where he was scheduled to be guest of honour at the World Culture Festival.
“The event, which is a celebration of peace in multiculturalism and ecumenicity, was scheduled to begin tomorrow March 10, 2016 (Thursday).”
Charamba said the cancellation followed communication from organisers of the festival acknowledging substantial inadequacies in protocol and security arrangements around the event, adding a numbers of leaders slotted for participation, including India, had also withdrawn.
“The President is expected home in a couple of days,” he said.
Mukherjee pulled out after a lobby group raised environmental concerns, saying the number of attendees posed a threat to a protected flood plain.
Over 3.5 million people are expected to attend the event, with 35 973 performers.
Former presidents of Nigeria and Mozambique, Olusegun Obasanjo and Joachim Chissano, will represent their countries respectively.
Mugabe left behind Zimbabwe’s Culture and Heritage Minister Abednico Ncube.
African News Agency
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