Dear Pro-West Cornballs:

The "Continent's Top Leaders Call for Free Polls" is not as important as "The Dogs of War" that are sponsoring MDC-T.

When the Secretary General of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change, Tendai Biti, declared war if MDC-T does not win the election; who are their soldiers?

PS: pardon me for my poor King & Queen's English its not mine, my family lost their African language in the Middle Passage.

I'm disturbed with Lloyd comment. There is great need to help Zimbabwe get its head above water. It is not time to talk about who said what and who didn't say. The fact of the matter is that the Situation in Zimbabwe isn't good. There is evidence that government is doing whatever it can to stop the opposition from winning. Elections should be free and transparent. On a short note, let the winner get access to power. We need to turn the page in Zimbabwe and in the entire continent.

LWBJ. Firstly your four names make you sound like a pompous twat. You are so anti - english yet you keep your name to sound like one. Why dont you go back to your original name instead of trying (note I say trying) to impress us with an english name. Another thing. You have big chip on your shoulder. Go feed africa with it.

that guy with 4 names needs to actually go to zimbabwe , i am from zimbabwe and was there for 4 months this year , trust me mugabe not only harasses MDC but even those so calles zanu pf people are scared of him even his own poiltburo members fear him and just nod in agreement to what he says . driving on the main HARARE-bulawayo road you see many farms with good production ,guess who owns them the top brass , and guess what race the project managers are (white) ,talk of dirty politics, so even the politicians hire white people to farm for them , not to say black people cannot farm no they can , but not all , HOW MANY STUDENTS FROM THE COUNTRIES TOP AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES WERE GIVEN FARMS ?, so please MR 4 NAMES jnr pay a visit to zimbabwe then try to take out your camera to take a holiday photo at the wrong moment and you will see what zimbabwe has become .I UNDERSTAND AFRICAN PEOPLES FRUSTRATION WITH EUROPE BUT PLEASE WE CANT BLAME THEM FOR ALL OUR PROBLEMS BECAUSE GOD KNOWS OUR LEADERS HAVE MADE A LOT OF MISTAKES AS WELL IF NOT MORE MISTAKES , ZIMBABWE HAS THE SECOND LARGEST DEPOSITS OF PLATINUM ,DIAMONDS HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED IIN SOME PARTS, WERE IS THE MONEY GOING ? PS mr 4 names i am not at all angry with you i just pity you , some wise man once said the most dangerous people in the world are not the uneducated people but the ones who prematurely think they are wise and inteligent , so please mr 4 names dont do your research and find out how many of mugabes bosses died suspiciously before independence leaving mugabe one of the most senior member ? after finding out the number tell me this do you still look highly to mugabe or do you really believe so many people could have parcel bomb deaths towrds independence . i have more to say but not the time ,hope you research your facts next time before trying to sound clever

Go back to africa then you cotton picking waste of space and re-learn your language. may I suggest one of the re-education camps run regularly by the CIO..the criminally idiotic organisation!!!!

Anyone who want to be ruled by an 84 years old- of -out touch dictator should see a psycho-analyst. Or maybe he have been to a witch doctor already? These people have low-self -esteem.

Dear western resident anti-west cornball,

I’m guessing, “the dogs of war” is your new buzz phrase. It was actually the title of a novel by Frederick Forsyth, I don’t think you can claim it as your own, Shakespeare got there first in Julius Caesar.

Hasn’t Mugabe declared war if he loses the election? He has a few more soldiers than the MDC.

P.S. you are pardoned for poor command of English but your excuse of your family losing it in the, “middle passage” is a little feeble Lloyd, and your anglicised name doesn’t bear you out convincingly. When was the last slave ship Lloyd?

Lloyd Whitefield Butler,

Where do you live? In Zimbabwe? I bet you don't. Where is Mr Butler Senior hiding?

You're a joke!

I see that the press release announcing the opinion of the 14 leaders comes from London. You can roll that press release up and use it for toilet paper or... you can ask those 14 leaders what they think of Britain's refusal to buy the white farmers out of Zimbabwe. Let us also ask them what they think of the United States being caught infiltrating the Intelligence Service of Equador to the point that the President of Equador had to fire 100 intelligence Officers thought to be on the payroll of the USA. After they respond to those two points, perhaps we should ask them how much the West is payiing Morgan et al to shine shoes.

I read all comment with interest. I also sometimes have chuckle at the ignorance of some of the posts. Zimbabwe was given a huge sum of meney from the UK government to buy out the farms on a "Willing Buyer, Willing Seller" arrangement.

Please note the word "Willing". RGM took the cash and invested it in a war in the DRC. It was at that point that the UK government said that the payments would stop until the Lancaster House agreement was implemented in full. RGM said "Stuff You" and continued to seize farms and evict settlers.Most of the settlers relocated to neighboring countries and as I write are contributing nearly 20% of the agricultural products of the region.

Mr Mugabe reneged on an agreement and sanctions against him and his senior ministers were implemented. Please note. NO SANCTIONS HAVE BEEN MADE AGAINST ZIMBABWE.

The posts from Zanoids are propaganda. No one wants to go back to colonialism. As a family man, all I wish is for the average Zimbabwean to enjoy a long and fulfilling life.

IT's NOT HAPPENING,.....IS IT?

muzik...please talk about what you know. Up till the illegal farm invasions Britain had financed up to 40% of the land resettlement programme and all was ok. The land invasions were a distraction and cheap tactic by mugabe to vent his anger after losing the Constitional vote. It was then that Clare Short realised she was dealing with a thug and told him unless rule of law was reinstated..there would be no more funding and that even made the little tinpot dictator more mad!! Dont forget too farms that were bought AFTER "independence" by white folk who had never set fot in zims till then but wanted to make a contribution, were invaded.Where is the justice in that?? And these were farms that had been marked as "No Interest". Just goes to show..politics of envy, get the evil whites to clear the land and plant the crops and then go and chase them off! You deserve all that happens to you now. And please, do stop the tired old argument of blaming the british media and usa media, or indeed the brits and the yanks. zanupf and mugabe alone are responsible for the shambolic mismanagement of the economy and the murdering going on in the name of political electioneering!!!!

Zimbabwe's natural resources have not changed. The land has belonged to 'the people' for over 10 years now, enough time to grow the necessary crops. And, in case Lloyd didn't know, aid literally poured into Zimbabwe after independence. Has he done his homework to find out how much? It must've been multiple times the gross national product. One has to ask what use it was put to and if it can all be accounted for.

Zambia has stopped 'pointing the colonial finger' and Botswana manages her economy nicely. Are they still shouting for 'aid?'

Why must there always be a cry for 'aid' (funding) to anyone else? It's demeaning.

And why must 'everyone else, but not me' shoulder the blame?

Why is it necessary for the West to fund anything especially since the Western nation's are the ones who are constantly vilified?

Fourteen former African presidents, heads of the United Nations, and a Nobel Laureates have nothing to do with their time but join the chorus of anti-Zimbabwe spinmeisters. Therefore I recommend an article of strategic importance for the African elite bourgeoisie:

"Dogs of War" By DAVID ISENBERG WASHINGTON, May 30 (UPI) -- Where does the future lie for the private military industry? Those who watch the industry closely have noted it tends to migrate periodically. In the beginning, mirroring human evolution, the industry emerged in Africa.

The progenitor for many of today's private security firms was the South Africa-based Executive Outcomes, which fought in Angola and Sierra Leone. (Incidentally, those truly interested in what this legendary firm did and how it worked should read the book published last year, "Executive Outcomes: Against All Odds," by its founder, Eben Barlow.)

After that, companies like U.S.-based Military Professional Resources Inc. worked in the Balkans, first for Croatia and then for Bosnia. And after that came Iraq, the mother of all private military contracting opportunities.

But someday, regardless of who wins the presidential election in November, even Iraq is going to draw to a close.

A U.S. withdrawal will not affect all companies in the same way. For those who do military logistics work, the demand for in-country technical representatives to maintain and repair weapons systems will likely substantially decline. Some of those, however, will likely redeploy to assist in the ongoing "reset" program to repair and replace equipment that has been worn out by operating in Iraq. But those doing work under the Army's Logistics Civil Augmentation Program -- driving trucks, staffing military bases -- will not likely find similar redeployment options. Those who do consulting, such as U.S.-based DynCorp, which trains Iraqi police forces, likely will continue receiving some work.

Still, where will private military firms look for new contracts? Most likely they will return to their point of origin, Africa. In fact, some are already there.

Pacific Architects and Engineering, now owned by Lockheed Martin and DynCorp, has been working under a U.S. contract since November 2004 to provide logistical support to Africans engaged in peacekeeping in Darfur, Sudan.

DynCorp also provides logistical support and training for peacekeepers in Liberia and Somalia.

Together these AFRICAP contracts have a ceiling of approximately $500 million, or $1 billion total. In February the State Department sent out a notice that it was looking to re-complete the contracts.

Both DynCorp and PAE also work together in the Security Sector Reform program in Liberia, also funded by the State Department. DynCorp has been contracted to provide basic facilities and basic training for the Armed Forces of Liberia, while PAE won the contract for building some bases, forming and structuring the AFL and its component units, and for providing specialized and advanced training, including mentoring the AFL's fledgling officer and non-commissioned officer corps. DynCorp's job is essentially to "recruit and make soldiers," while PAE is employed to "mentor and develop" them into a fully operational force.

Both firms are generally said to have done a good job in Liberia, though past delays by the State Department in releasing funding have increased the time taken by DynCorp to provide basic training for all recruits and increased its costs.

A more serious concern was noted by the U.S. Army's Strategic Studies Institute. In a study released in March, the institute concluded that "the image of DynCorp creating an armed elite is disconcerting to many Liberians."

In the 1980s, the study notes, the United States spent $500 million to train and equip the army of Liberian President Samuel Doe. "Every armed group that plundered Liberia over the past 25 years had its core in these U.S.-trained AFL soldiers. There is thus a fear that when the United States withdraws support for its SSR Program and funding for the AFL, Liberia will be sitting on a time bomb; a well-trained and armed force of elite soldiers who are used to good pay and conditions of service, which may be impossible for the government of Liberia to sustain on its own."

MPRI has also provided training for the militaries of Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda and Senegal under the State Department's African Contingency Operations and Assistance Program, (formerly the African Crisis Response Initiative), and separately provided training and analysis to the South African military.

Northrop Grumman also operates under a $75 million contract to support the ACOAP program, which aims to train 40,000 African peacekeepers over five years.

KBR provides services to at least three bases in Djibouti, Kenya and Ethiopia used by the U.S. Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.

And former Blackwater USA Vice Chairman J. Cofer Black made headlines back in 2006 when he advocated the use of private military companies to assist in providing peacekeeping services in Africa. Black said Blackwater could have a small, nimble, brigade-size force ready to move into a troubled region, like Sudan, on short notice.

The establishment of the U.S. military's latest regional command, the new Africa Command, has also played a role in opening up the market. Private contractors have been seen as an integral part of AFRICOM since its inception. This is not surprising, considering that in October 2003 James Jay Carafano and Nile Gardiner, both from the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank, proposed to the Bush administration the creation of a centralized Africa command for the U.S. military. Their proposal made clear that the objective was to preserve U.S. access to African oil and other natural resources on the continent. The Heritage report also points to the strategic importance of Africa in the global "war on terror."

A study published in spring 2007 by the Industrial College of the Armed Forces noted that "Africa may do for the (private military) industry in the next 20 years what Iraq has done in the past four, provide a significant growth engine." -- (U.S. Navy veteran David Isenberg is a military affairs analyst. He is an adjunct scholar with the Cato Institute, a correspondent for Asia Times and the author of the forthcoming book "Shadow Force: Private Security Contractors in Iraq." His "Dogs of War" column, analyzing developments in the private security and military sector, appears every Friday.)

Dear Lloyd Whitefield Butler Jr.

Every time i read a post of yours, you avoid the subject. The article above simply states that a large number of African notable and leaders have called for free polls. And what is your reply...To talk of military intervention by America, Blackwater etc.

As a Zanoid you clearly have been brainwashed otherwise you would be making constructive comments.

Your a disgrace to your continent and perhaps to Lloyd Whitefield Butler Snr.

This post was deleted because it contravenes AllAfrica's commenting guidelines.

Absolutely crazy how everybody's thinking ahs been turned round and how people believe in the nonsense that African leaders have got to say. What can these people ever think there will be peace in Zimbabwe and even think the solution in in Zimbabwe? They must write to the authors of African conflicts who are based in lands far from Africa!

But anywhere every dog hears its masters' voice more readily, sometimes it fogerts that it too has a barking voice. Shame on Africa. Ever wondered why an African can be head of UN and not IMF,WB or IFC? Well the answer is in what they write!

Peace and suffering be onto lovely Africa. I love you doomed Africa yet I hate what its people do, refuse tothink defferently!

Not sure what the relevance to the article was Lloyd but I read your post. Glad to see you've corrected that persistent spelling error. Your construction is improving gradually B-.

LWBJ have you even been to Zimbabwe? Spare us your garbage.

To take people of this stature and then to simply dismiss them as having too much time on their hands is supremely arrogant. This LWB jr charlatan is a reflection of the corrupt and cruel regime that zanu-pf has become. Hey LWB jr - are these eminent persons yet more western paid sell-outs?

Lets not pay attention to the mindless rants of our dear LWBJ. His article wreaks bitterness and angst. Why must he always lay blame to the west. Granted, they have done their fair share of ills, but it is Zimbabweans who are in the rural areas brutalising fellow zimbabweans...And if he really did care for Zimbabweans and Africans as he purports then he would not be seeking to justify what is currently going on.

Where is Mandela?

Who is this amazing guy Lloyd Whitefield Buttler Jnr? I doubt if this is his real name. His contribution was completely out of topic. I saw words like Iraq, US etc thrown all over his contribution. I thought the discussion was on Zimbabwean and the 14 African leaders who care about the future of Zimbabwe. Lloyd should not say something if he has nothing to say. I think the 14 African leaders have said it well. We wait for the sitting African leaders like Mbeki, Dos Santos etc to take the same line. We also await the greatest son of Africa, Nelson Mandela to speak up as well. I know Mandela is now old and prefers peaceful rest but one little phrase or sentence from him would be of paramount significance.

Mandela!!!! Talking about Mandela, the guy is the worst African. 30 years in prison for nothing, its now 14 years after his realise some people are celebrating un-independence day in South Africa. only 4% of the promised land was received.

The differnce between you and Mandela is that Mandela doesnt have a chip on his shoulder. You could feed africa with yours.