New Envoy, Peacekeepers Needed to Avoid Catastrophe in Zimbabwe

The international community, led by African leaders, should appoint former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, as a special envoy to negotiate the departure of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe from the country’s political scene. This move should be backed by the deployment of peace-keeping forces to quell the violence committed by Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party since trailing the opposition Movement for Democratic Change in elections in March.
 
Such action would build on momentum created by United Nations Security Council’s strong statement yesterday that condemned the violence and declared that conditions in the country make a credible presidential runoff election on Friday impossible. The statement went through multiple drafts before winning unanimous acceptance, with South Africa, Russia and China pushing to weaken it somewhat.

"The desperate actions of ZANU-PF have brought Zimbabwe and its people to the brink of complete catastrophe," said Jennifer Windsor, executive director of Freedom House. "Governments around the region and around the world should condemn President Mugabe's government as illegitimate and break diplomatic relations should he go forward on Friday with a sham election."

Tsvangirai announced Sunday that he would pull out of the election, citing escalating violence in the country. For weeks, youth militias linked to ZANU-PF have engaged in a campaign of violence and torture that has killed at least 86 people and wounded and displaced tens of thousands. President Mugabe has declared that "only God" can replace him, not the Zimbabwean electorate.

Annan would supplant South African President Thabo Mbeki whose "quiet diplomacy" on behalf of the Southern African Development Community has failed to resolve the crisis in Zimbabwe. In recent weeks, influential African leaders—including those from Angola, Tanzania and Kenya—have grown impatient with Mbeki’s efforts and have condemned the situation in Zimbabwe. Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has been particularly outspoken.

"The continued treatment of Robert Mugabe with kid gloves by Mr. Mbeki has yielded only continuing violence and despair for the Zimbabwean people," said Windsor.  "Now is the time to move beyond statements and take actions that will help restore peace and security to Zimbabwe’s traumatized population."

Zimbabwe is ranked Not Free in the 2008 edition of Freedom in the World, Freedom House's survey of political rights and civil liberties, and in the 2008 version of Freedom of the Press.

For more information on Zimbabwe visit:

Freedom in the World 2008: Zimbabwe
Freedom of the Press 2008: Zimbabwe

Freedom House, an independent nongovernmental organization that supports the expansion of freedom in the world, has been monitoring political rights and civil liberties in Zimbabwe since 1980.

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