happened to an African country , '' said Mugabe , a former revolutionary leader who came to power when white-ruled Rhodesia became black-ruled Zimbabwe . `` It has to do with national sovereignty . '' Watch Mugabe on his controversial land reform program '' It was Mugabe 's first interview with a Western television network in several years , and he appeared to get frustrated with some of Amanpour 's direct questioning , repeatedly denying widely accepted evidence and reports on his nation 's woes . Mugabe denied that his ZANU-PF party lost elections in 2008 that forced him to accept a power-sharing agreement with his chief rival , Morgan Tsvangirai , who now is prime minister . Violence surrounding the disputed election , much of it against opposition supporters , further damaged Zimbabwe 's standing , but Mugabe rejected any blame on Thursday . `` You do n't leave power when imperialists dictate that you leave , '' he insisted . `` There is regime change . Have n't you heard of -LRB- the -RRB- regime change program by Britain and the United States that is aimed at getting not just Robert Mugabe out of power but get Robert
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe , in a rare interview Thursday , depicted himself as an African hero battling imperialism and foreign attempts to oust him rather than the widespread perception of a dictator clinging to power at the expense of the welfare of his people and country . Robert Mugabe says sanctions against his country are `` unjustifiable . '' The 85-year-old Mugabe , the only leader of Zimbabwe since it became independent from Britain in 1980 , rejected repeated assertions by CNN 's Christiane Amanpour that his policies have driven the nation once known as Africa 's breadbasket to virtual economic collapse . Instead , Mugabe accused Britain and the United States of seeking to oust him by imposing economic sanctions , the effects of which he said were worsened by years of drought . He denied that his country is in economic shambles , saying it grew enough food last year to feed all its people , and defended policies that have driven white farmers off their land as properly restoring that land to indigenous Africans . `` The land reform is the best thing -LRB- that -RRB- could have ever have