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Russia has nothing to do with any protests in South Africa, top diplomat says

Since last Friday, the supporters of Jacob Zuma, the former South African president imprisoned on July 8, began blocking main roads in KwaZulu-Natal province

TASHKENT, July 16. /TASS/. Russia is not involved in any way in any protest rallies in South Africa or any other country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told journalists on the sidelines of the international conference "Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity. Challenges and Opportunities" in response to a question by TASS.

"I will say right now that we have nothing to do with provoking any processes, moreover, violent protests, neither in South Africa, nor in any other country worldwide," he said.

Since last Friday, the supporters of Jacob Zuma, the former head of state imprisoned on July 8, began blocking main roads in KwaZulu-Natal province. They declared the launch of the Free Zuma campaign in order to obtain his quick release, and urged the residents of the province to join their protest rallies. Demonstrations everywhere turned violent. Since Saturday, the looting spread to Gauteng province, where Johannesburg and Pretoria are located. Other parts of the country remained calm.

During the unrest, according to data provided by the South African government, 117 people were killed, and 2,213 were arrested. Since last Wednesday, the stabilization process has begun in two restive provinces, where police and army managed to largely get the situation under control.

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Foreign policy Sergey Lavrov Russian Foreign Ministry South Africa

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