More bad news from Zimbabwe
The Times of London reports the brutal murder of Dadirai Chipiro, wife of a Zimbabwean opposition leader:
The killing last Friday – one of the most grotesque atrocities committed by Robert Mugabe’s regime since independence in 1980 – was carried out on a wave of worsening brutality before the run-off presidential elections in just over two weeks. It echoed the activities of Foday Sankoh, the rebel leader in the Sierra Leone civil war that ended in 2002, whose trade-mark was to chop off hands and feet.
Check out the editorial board's take on Zimbabwe from earlier this month, which begins, "It's a shame that the Iraq war has made it impossible to advocate regime change, because Zimbabwe's strongman, President Robert Mugabe, is such a deserving candidate."
Also see our post on violence in South Africa against Zimbabwean refugees, and frequent Times contributor James Kirchick's Op-Ed on what South Africa should do to help Zimbabwe.
mugabe,s threat cannot be taken lightly, united nations security council should take immediate actions before a genocide takes place that will kill hundreds of innocent lives. send peace keeping troops before the elections
Posted by: stan dahya | June 13, 2008 at 11:54 AM
On 24APR08, I called for Mr. Mugabe to step down as president of the southern African country that was once considered the bread basket of Africa, Zimbabwe.
Mr. Mugabe’s 1980 historic revolutionary overthrow of the former Rhodesian government has been marred by his ruthless hold on power of the now impoverished Zimbabwe. Today, President Mugabe succeeded in thwarting the democratic election candidacy of Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai as president. According to Tsvangirai, he is pulling the plug on his campaign due to the violence caused by the highly contentious contest.
This is a sad day in southern Africa because this region has the greatest potential to fuel progress for the whole continent. We have seen the overflow of Zimbabwean refugees into South Africa. The strain of this influx on the South African government revealed ugly images last seen during its own liberation struggle.
The heroes of the new South African are too old to see southern Africa through these latest challenges of the region. I believe President Mugabe is not a well man. And in his medical/psychological dilemma, a whole region of Africa can be destroyed. Therefore, I am calling on respected organizations such as TransAfrica to lobby the United Nations and non-governmental organizations to assist in the resolution of the problems in southern Africa.
As in the middle-east, regional problems can become international problems if left unattended.
Posted by: microbrother | June 23, 2008 at 09:21 AM