With no end in sight to the worsening scenario of Zimbabwe's human rights abuses, pressure is now beginning to mount on southern African countries to break the silence and join hands to help resolve the neighbouring country's crisis.
"All SADC (Southern African Development Community) member states must move into Zimbabwe to organize elections and to make the people come together" says Wisdom Gondwe, a Lusaka-based political observer.
"As far as the situation in Zimbabwe is concerned, President Robert Mugabe is ruling by default, he is not the president of Zimbabwe because his mandate expired before the (March 29) election. So, that country's chief justice should have been in control during the period of preparing for the election re-run. He is ruling by default, and even his government officials are all ruling by default."
Zimbabwe is in its eighth year of an economic recession that has seen inflation soar to unofficial estimates of one million per cent - the highest ever in the world - and unemployment levels rising to above 80 per cent. Shortages of key commodities such as fuel and food, have over the years been commonplace in literally every corner of the once-buoyant southern African economic giant.
According to international donor organizations, nearly five million Zimbabweans are in need of emergency food assistance this year alone. It is estimated that as many as three million Zimbabweans could have left the country for neighbouring states, such as Zambia, Botswana, Malawi and South Africa, or have gone further outside the continent to England and the United States.
Inside Zimbabwe, a myriad of glaring cases of violent attacks has been reported with about 86 people, mostly supporters of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) killed in targeted attacks since the March 29 election, according to the MDC.
The first round presidential election was won by the MDC's Morgan Tsvangarai, but he fell short of the required 50 per cent plus one vote for an outright victory, forcing a re-run with Mugabe, 84,who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980. -The Times of Zambia
UN takes part
The U.N. Security Council has unanimously condemned the Zimbabwean government because of violence that has marred the campaign leading up to a scheduled presidential election runoff, which forced the withdrawal of the opposition candidate from the race.
The council's statement that questioned the legitimacy of any election held under such circumstances but did not directly call for the runoff, scheduled for Friday, to be postponed.
Earlier, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made that appeal, saying the vote runoff as currently scheduled "would only deepen divisions within the country and produce a result that could not be seen as credible."
But Boniface Chidyausiku, Zimbabwe's ambassador to the United Nations, said after the Security Council vote that the runoff would take place as planned.
"The Security Council cannot micromanage political elections in any country," he said. "They have expressed their view, and we take note of their view. But as far as we're concerned, the date is set." HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN)
In the past, United Nations Emergency Coordinator Jan Egeland, said that the humanitarian situation in the southern Africa is “extremely serious and it is worsening as we speak.”
The UN and donor countries could contribute to breaking the vicious circle which had locked the Zimbabwean people into declining standards of living. The country that had enjoyed a life expectancy of more than 60 years about 16 years ago now has seen that cut to only 32 years today.
It’s heartbreaking to meet with people who are fearing the future because of food insecurity, which is affecting the majority of the people. Prices are spiralling as food is becoming increasingly scarce. It was heartbreaking to meet victims of the eviction campaign last summer, who now are back in the same place, only in much worse shelter than the house that was bulldozed.”
The UN wants to do more to help, he said, noting that it launched an appeal last week for $276 million for food aid, medical assistance, safe water and sanitation, as well as general assistance for Zimbabwe’s people.
Security Council to standstill
China last week once again demonstrated its willingness to opportunistically trade diplomatic favors for access to African riches. Joining with Russia, the People's Republic vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have imposed tough sanctions on Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and other members of his illegitimate regime for rigging the country's presidential election.
In Zimbabwe, it's not petroleum that China covets. Rather, the African nation is the world's second-largest exporter of platinum, a key input for China's auto industry. China is also the world's largest steel producer, and Zimbabwe controls more than half of the world's known chromium reserves, used in making stainless steel.
That China implements this imperialistic strategy by leveraging its position as a permanent member of the UN Security Council with veto power is arguably one of the most reprehensible aspects of an amoral foreign policy. That foreign policy is founded on a principle that China's own President Hu Jintao has preached like the lowliest of rug merchants across Africa and Latin America: "Just business, no political conditions."
The veto power of the permanent members of SC (Big5) corrupts the functions and UN’s purpose. It makes it a slave of its own organization.
UN finds another way
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed a deal between Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Monday that paves the way for talks on forming a power-sharing government.
The preliminary agreement was signed in Harare's Rainbow Towers Hotel after weeks of deadlock since Mugabe was re-elected on June 27 in a widely condemned poll boycotted by Tsvangirai because of violence against his supporters.
"The Secretary-General encourages all sides to engage, in good faith, in serious talks that would lead to a lasting solution to the political crisis and address the urgent economic and humanitarian needs of the Zimbabwean people people," Ban's spokeswoman, Michele Montas, said in a statement.
Monday's meeting was the first in 10 years between Mugabe and Tsvangirai, who have long traded insults, but shook hands at the end of the ceremony, with the opposition leader referring to Mugabe as "comrade".
"The handshake is a good sign and we hope that something will be achieved," French U.N. Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert told reporters. "We hope it's the beginning of good work together between Mr Tsvangirai and Mr Mugabe.
"Ripert said that any political solution had to be built on the results of the first round of the presidential poll on March 29, which was won by Tsvangirai who fell short of an absolute majority, and that things "seem to be aiming in the right direction, so we're fully supportive."
France holds the rotating six-month presidency of the European Union.
Mugabe and Tsvangirai have been under heavy pressure to enter negotiations. They have both demanded to be recognized as Zimbabwe's rightful president.
Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said the deal justified Moscow's decision to veto earlier this month, along with China, a Western-backed U.N. Security Council resolution to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe."It's very good news," Churkin said of the pact.
"It shows we were right when we said that there is potential (for) contacts between the parties in Zimbabwe and that this should be encouraged by the international community." -The Times of Zambia
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