A Murderer Leading The Blind: Crisis in Zimbabwe

Yes, there is a crisis in Zimbabwe Mr. Mbeki...

The severe political and economic problems in Zim have recently been speeding up due to Robert Mugabe's overt statements of declaring war on the opposition who he accuses of violence and treason. According to the main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), over 60 of its supporters have been killed in recent weeks, its offices have been ransacked by state security forces and its secretary has been arrested on charges of treason, a crime punishable by death.

The upcoming second-round in the presidential election at the end of the week is as good as dead, destroying the last hope of a relatively peaceful transition of power and at last transforming Zimbabwe into a democracy. It is not meant to be however. Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition candidate, has now fled into the Dutch embassy in Harare for fear of being arrested or worse. (As far as I am concerned he is more than welcome.) The ball is now firmly in the camp of the international community: the UN, African Union/SADC and EU. Mr. Tsvangirai's means have been exhausted and Robert Mugabe has now firmly established his intention to keep a hold on power. Unfortunately there is no ready solution available unless a few individuals make an immediate about-turn.

In an ideal world, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) should handle this festering sore in its own, once prosperous and fertile, backyard. Its defacto leader, South African president Thabo Mbeki, would not find it too difficult to reach a consensus on forming a unified block with other SADC members if only he tried a little harder. Several leaders have already spoken out more firmly than in the past but are unable to make a difference on their own. The SADC has to condemn Mugabe's puppet regime and force the resignation of his government through targetted sanctions on him and his government. Boycotting the entire country will do little good and will only put the Zimbabwean population in a more dire situation. The time for a quiet diplomatic solution is passed, Robert Mugabe's not going anywhere, and the SADC has to face up to its responsibilities.

The United Nations have now voiced a "strongly worded" declaration stating their condemnation of the situation in Zimbabwe. Expect little else however. The UN is still painfully inadequate when it comes to good governance control and few people in Mugabe's entourage will worry about a strongly worded statement coming from an office on the other side of the globe. Ideally (in a perfect world...), the UN should be allowed to send election monitors and observers to Zim, either through the AU or SADC, but the time for that has passed. Now it's only focus should be on the human rights situation in Zim: ensuring food supplies reach the people and are not intercepted by Mugabe and fighting (yes, fighting) for reporters to be allowed to return to the country in relative safety.

And finally, the EU. However anything the EU says or intends to do on the issue of Zimbabwe will be used by Robert Mugabe as evidence that we are still "out to get" the former British colony. Quiet support of UN resolutions seems to be the only productive course for Europe.

The diplomat in me is eager for a peaceful transition of power and to do whatever it takes to remove Robert Mugabe as president. However the militant in me is wondering why the hell we did not simply arrest the bastard when he was in Rome?

Oh, and Mr. Mbeki, one more thing: I think I heard your father turn over in his grave.