Based on the Chairman of the AU Commission, Jean Ping, statement that the AU is gravely concerned at what he called “increasing acts of violence,” and what the AU can really do about Zimbabwe?

The position of the chairmanship of the AU Commission is crucial for Afraka. Anyone occupying this role must be competent and unimmotional to see beyond just the surface of things. If my memory serves me right I think that this position was created for a Pan Afrakan platform and not a colonial ideology. Mr. Jean Ping may need some tutorial about the only solution to this Afrakan problem, ie. Pan Afrakanism!

Afraka must find the right people to lead her peoples for the good of all of us instead of filling the various portfolios based on rotation of the fifty something Colonial States!!!!!!!!!!

Let us hope that the AU leaders attending the summit at Sharm-el-Sheikh will have the cojones to do the right thing. If Thabo "Inert" Mbeki doesn't want to play along, marginalise him because his relationship with Mugabe is as insidious as the one that the House of Bush has with the House of Saud.

Why on earth didn't they do this for Kenya because Kibaki DID NOT win the presidential election if his party only managed to win less than 1 in 5 of the parliamentary seats? The so called government of "national unity" in Kenya is anything but otherwise there would not be FORTY TWO ministries for a population of less than 40 million while Nigeria, Africa's most populous African country, with 150 million people has TWENTY ministries.

African leaders will do nothing meaningful. When have they ever. They are a bunch of cowards!

AU and SADC should sympathise with Tsvangirai. Here is a man who has tried his best to persue a peaceful and democratic path to assume leadership of a country (Zimbabwe) but is being denied this opportunity through unconstitutional methods such as use of violence against his supporters, disenfranchisement of his potential supporters, use of intimidation and threats against MDC sympathisers etc. Mugabe and ZANU (PF) will not relent until they have achieved their goal of denying Tsvangirai this golden opportunity. The AU and SADC leaders may be aware that even the 43.2% Mugabe got in the first round did not come via fair means but can partly be attributed to subtle forms of violence and intimidation and this foul vote was enhanced through inducements such as distribution of agricultural machinery to rural voters and housing stands to urban voters. Any honest Zimbabwean will tell you that Mugabe is now beyond the capability to assume power by fair means. What is keeping him in power are the service chiefs responsible for state security organisations such ZNA,Air Force, ZRP, CIO and ZPS. The service chiefs have made it clear to anyone who cares to listen that Tsvangirai and MDC will never be allowed to preside over affairs of Zimbabwe. In my opinion what is left for AU and SADC to do is to:

1) recognise Tsvangirai as President based on results of the first election on 29 March 200. This election was deemed to be free and fair by SADC and AU observers. 2) encourage or influence Mugabe to retire from politics and to guarantee his immunity from future prosecution by Zimbabwean and international courts 3) influence Tsvangirai to form an all inclusive government. One of the current service chiefs or former service chiefs can be appointed minister of defence. In addition a position of Prime Minister can be created for an individual recognised by ZANU (PF) as Mugabe's successor. Mugabe himself should retire from active politics. Mugabe has been in power for a good twenty eight years, he is no longer as popular as he used to be in the 1980s and 1990s and at 84, he is now too old to continue to influence the country's future moreso considering that because of old age he may not be there for Zimbabweans in the future.

I pray God that SADC make a settlement in line with what I have written above or else they would have done great injustice to Tsvangirai. With they way ZANU (PF) is trying to take captives out of Zimbabweans, it appears that Zimbabwe will not be able carry out a free and fair election in the foreseeable future. Tsvangirai's chance for presidency appears to be now or never. The accusations from Mugabe that Tsvangirai represents Western and white interests is absurd and should not sway SADC and AU to side with Mugabe and ZANU (PF). Mugabe is simply powerhungry and will not allow any one even from his beloved ZANU (PF) party to assume power in Zimbabwe while he is still alife.

The Zimababwean people don't need sympathy they need action. Symapathy is in abundance, action is not. Where is the SADC or AU peacekeeping force.

The Constitutive Act (of the African Union)(excerpts)

Article 4

Principles

The Union shall function in accordance with the following principles:

(m) respect for democratic principles, human rights, the rule of law and good governance; (o) respect for the sanctity of human life, condemnation and rejection of impunity and political assassination, acts of terrorism and subversive activities; (p) condemnation and rejection of unconstitutional changes of governments.

Article 23

Imposition of Sanctions

2. Furthermore, any Member State that fails to comply with the decisions and policies of the Union may be subjected to other sanctions, such as the denial of transport and communications links with other Member States, and other measures of a political and economic nature to be determined by the Assembly.

Article 30

Suspension

Governments which shall come to power through unconstitutional means shall not be allowed to participate in the activities of the Union.

Unfortunately it is a similar situation to that of a rape trial - the rapist is given more legal respect than the victim. Here we have Tsvangirai following the peaceful route to election whilst mugabe goes from one evil to the next. After many years of terrorising his own people the African governments still mildly refer to "concern over increasing violence". In March the electorate FINALLY get the courage to vote in line with their true convictions, believing that their vote is truely secret.... Huh!! Now the world sits back and leaves them to mugabe: Too much handwringing guys! If you get rid of mugabe that may be a bad move... but if you don't get rid of mugabe then that will be a BAAADDD move.

It would be interesting to see how they ignored Mugabe killing 20 000 people and today they act against him for killing less than 100.Are there people who are more beings than others, where was world in the 80s when all these people were killed by the same henchmen

How who ignored the killing of 20 000? The fact is that the AU did not exist then, and few people knew what was going on (beyond the suppression of the banditry perpetrated by real dissident elements at the time). Furthermore the internet was not yet available for non-military use, and so the news never got out from the grassroots.

Thank you so very much for providing the information on the Zimbabwean Constitution.

The statements and actions of Mr. Mugabe can be more easily judged when viewed against the laws of Zimbabwe.

From an australian viewpoint . remembering we australians resist authority , and have long shirked the yoke of colonial rule . however , we respect the rule of law to a degree . we see in the idea of lawful rule the best chance of a good society . from that perspective ; we consider this mockery of democracy , this ignoring of common sense as being such a terrible thing , that many of us would welcome a violent end to mugabe's terrible rule . while we think his original struggle noble , he is no king . no noble endowment has made this man , and that is what he is , a man , no king , no god inspired ruler ,merely an old man despotic in his dotage . grasping to extend his term to the detriment of the people he thinks he commands . at the end of his days , he is bringing ruin and destruction to his country . the pity is he may not even realise it . you the african countries which protect him , protect his madness . it is a pity and the people of zimbabwe pay the price . do you really consider his pride worth it ?

When the west undermined Mugabe, by prevailing on companies and other countries not to invest in Zimbabwe, thereby destroying the country's economy, what did they think they were doing? Even right now Gordon Brown and others are trying to prevail on Anglo American not to invest $400 million in platinum mining in Zimbabwe. Anglo American is resisting, and rightly so.

Isn't it obvious that it was only because they inflicted this hardship on Zimbabweans that Zanu-PF lost the election? However, notwithstanding the 'playing field' that was not level, they've accepted the results and now they want to fight the second round of the presidential poll, and people who think Africans are children, morons or idiots, are saying the elections will not be free and fair? What are they smoking?

When Mugabe was undermined, was the election free and fair? These white idiots have invalidated any talk of free and fair elections in Zimbabwe, period. When they tilted the playing field in favor of one candidate there was nothing wrong, nobody should say a word, because they think they are god. Well, little Osamas are being born to continue these types of struggle. Win or lose, Mugabe will die fighting, as that is what we expect of our liberation heros.

you are clearly on drugs and believe in movie style heroes that are based on superhero figures like Rambo. RGM is not a superhero. Zimbabweans have and are suffering a lot through the Mugabe regime that has nothing to do with the sanctions. Much as no Zimbabwean condones the sanctions imposed on the country, noone can blame the West for the constant verbal abuse through hate speech, the corruption, violence and lack of respect for the rule of law and organs of governance. Bad governance and corruption are what have brought Zimbabwe to its knees, and the ruling party ZANU PF are solely responsible for that rampant culture of impunity not sanctions. To add insult to an injured nation, it is shameful and dispicable the way the regime is using the youths' unemployment and poverty that they have created for their own ends, turning these young desparate young people into killing machines. I suggest you take your racism elsewhere....Zimbabweans dont need your kind of solidarity!!

Irrespective of whether it was bad governance, corruption or whatever you want to call it, the west had no right to tilt the electoral playing field. Let the govt fall for internal reasons not external ones. They should have stayed out of this, and people like us would have believed.

Its people like you who don't know how the world works, that cause problems all over the place. Even if there is corruption in Zimbabwe, if the whites want Mugabe to lead your country you will have to put your tail between your legs and accept it, instead of talking nonsense. But first you should try reading books on how the world works, before you write nonsense. That is, if you will understand them...

So tell me Jay, why are China and South Africa also refusing to lend Zimbabwe money? Everyone can see through the lies in your post. You're so transparent, its rediculous. You want the west to butt out of Zimbabwe, and complain about the west stripping Zimbabwe of its resources, and here a company is looking to do exactly this, and you want to take the $400 million in your back pocket. Surely you are one of these sell outs that Mugabe keeps blaming for the Zim economy then?

So Jay, why did these neo-colonial, post-imperial powers enact sanctions against and divest from Zimbabwe? You have a very good point, that Zimbabwe seems to be locked in a global economic system that includes other nations, rather than left alone to fend for itself. WAKE UP! No country can be left alone to fend for itself. Nations must participate in larger communities of nations. Poor dumb Mugabe hasn't been able to get his head out of 1979. He thinks he is still fighting one enemy and trying to procure liberation for his country. Somebody should let him know that the country is already free and that it's time to act like a free nation and start participating in the world. No nation on earth, not even the big powerful ones you seem to be so afraid of (come on, stop being such a sissy) can act alone in the world. When Bush tried it, countries disowned him and divested from the US. The same happened to Mugabe. But the citizens of the US have worked hard to get another kind of leadership into power so that it won't happen again. You should consider doing the same thing. Get another kind of leadership installed in Harare and move forward. Stop cowering behing decades-old anti-colonial rhetoric and participate in the world going on around you.

Tell that to Osama

Or the ghost of Ho Chi Minh...

Are these the kind of heroes you spoke of earlier?

No, these are simply people who have taught the West lessons they will never forget. Let them just continue their stupidity and there will be more Osamas and Ho Chi Minhs, in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Cuba etc. etc.

Jay, you and others are just a batch of white "ass-holes" who appear to be concerned about Africa, when in fact you are white racists. Especially the fully defeated white Rhodesians! You and your kind have no place in Zimbabwe or in Africa. Africans do see thru your transparent white bleached skin.

Anglo-white have become useless to most debates on Africa. You present yourselves as know it all types. It is interesting that Britain or the USA are hardly sought after as peace makers into todays world. African Union or Arabs think you and others are a batch of Bastards! Good for nothing. Uk today, is propably considered one of the worst country to deal with. There has been a major shift who Africans consult with today. It is definately not you and your kind.

There are other African countries that have gone thru what Zimbabwe has gone thru, namely Nigeria, Kenya, the DRC, Ghana, Ethiopia, Serro leon, etc and in the end they have come out of bad rules like Mugabe. I'm confident Zimbabwe will come out from this period as well. You white anglos/Afrikaners had your white savage dictatorship that was defeated. Spain had General Franco, Italy Mussolin, Germany Hitler.

Or maybe ask Jeremiah Wright and the black Americans whose feelings he gave voice to...

As much as your Mugabe/Moyo propaganda has altered your brain, you must still realize that the MDC shares some of Wright's sentiments. We all do. But we are not so trapped in old, simple, and useless conceptions of things to think that just becuase the MDC opposes Mugabe, they must be puppets of the west. Come on. Are there policies of the MDC you oppose? Or are you just pro-Mugabe becuase you like his Mugabe-Osama-Ho Chi Minh-against-the-whole-world propaganda and he has convinced you that anything else is the work of the "evil doers," to borrow a phrase from Bush. I see a lot of similarities there. Bush has a whole nation full of idiots voting for him becuase he paints the world in such simplistic black and white terms. Mugabe too is such a simpleton. Don't you want to rise above all that?

You just write, without any bearing or foundation. You are one of those who will like to make a simple problem complex, because you feel you will earn respect when you deal with complex issues that exist only in your warped mind. Please don't make the world complex for us in situations that are not complex, PLEASE. Even when things are complex, one of the hallmarks of a sharp mind is to be able to explain complex problems in simple terms. That is what clarity of thought is all about. That is why a trained mind is expected to reason logically not to put forth baseless nonsense as you are doing. ****** You are now talking from both sides of your mouth. If you agree with some of what Wright said, then why are you arguing? What Wright said essentially was that America (or the west) got what it deserved because of its criminal and self-serving actions around the world. That was why people like Ho, Osama, Castro, Mugabe etc have resisted it and will continue to do so. Maybe they were or are simpletons, but Ho especially taught them a lesson they will never forget.

********** That is why they probably don't think intervening in Burma is sexy right now. They learnt their lesson in that part of the world, in Vietnam. If, with your limited or probably young mind, you think the past is not important, think again. Asians from that part of the world will be the last people on earth they will ever tackle again in jungle warfare. As for Africa, they've forgotten the liberation struggles too soon. They will be reminded soon enough if they decide to intervene militarily in Zimbabwe. Have they forgotten Somalia which is relatively recent? 'Black Hawk Down', have they forgotten? People are probably just waiting around, getting ready to drag their corpses through the streets of which ever place they decide to intervene next in Africa. They will probably be dealt with in a complex way, if that will please you. ******* I will not respond to you again though, as you're basically going round in circles. I can tell you're not capable of mature reasoning.

Thank you. I don't want another response.

(For anyone else reading: Apparently one cannot agree with someone's words, but then object when those words are twisted for the purpose of getting rich. We can all agree, right, that Mugabe's rhetoric expresses something that we all feel - the imbalance of world power - but when he uses that to get rich and hold on to power at the expense of the people - like an Osama kills innocents in the name of his rhetoric - then how can we respect him. George Bush does just that - taps into people's fears of true crimes, only to twist them for his own purposes. To relize complexity is to realize that one can agree with some parts of something and disagree with other parts. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all accept or reject things absolutely like the simple folks who run certain nations. We wouldn't have to think hard about anything ever again. Finally, is Mugabe's absolutist perception of the world helping Zimbabeans? If the answer is "no," and certainly it is, then why would anyone want him to be their leader?)

Just go and read about all the damages a leader?? could do to destroy a country. Where will you find such a man? Only in Zim.

Wacky elections and the politics of campaigning! Tomorrow is D-Day. This time around Mugabe has total control of the electorate while Tsvangirai has total control of imperial states and their “mujibas” economic cronies. The chronological methodology employed to have political power is very simple; starve, intimidate, feed, and then treachery. Both parties subscribe to the same universal third world political values of starving, intimidating and then feeding the subjects before they treacherously negotiate with insatiable resource mongers to fund their new governments.

Starving

MDC had used its starving machinery from international finance institution through the backing of neo-colonials that have decision powers to stop loans/credits/grants to Zimbabwe. Zanu made it a point that only its card holders will be fed in rural communities. Zanu also have to its advantage organised institutional corruption in higher political echelons. If you are not Zanu you will never enjoy the free benefits of fuel, agric inputs and business tenders in gvt. Tsvangirai would call for all sorts of economic coercion to annihilate the poor electoral subjects from the international community disguised as directed to Mugabe’s cronies. A blame game was instituted by both parties in an effort to save face from a flabbergasted electorate.

Intimidation

When Tsvangirai was positively riding on the approval log and his campaign was financially super oiled the youth were all geared to be part of the success story and would be used to beat old die hard Zanuits, he proudly termed them “Jambanja boys” on rallies and the western community that was tired of having inert Zimbabweans chanted that the people were now revolting against a dictator. Zanu had been on the receiving end for it only had emotional hapless old ex-combatants who were extremely uncoordinated. Youthful MDC action was abound from sabotaging train/bus (zupco) delivery systems to burning and beating the police, most Zanu cell chairmen had their homes torched much to the awakening of the new error, victory was certain for the MDC-T as Zanu cadres were weeping. The politics of money was well tolerated by the organizers much to the fact that the youth could alternate contractual bases from MDC in a week to Zanu the other week. Tsvangirai ended up using the same undomesticated youths to beat his rivals within MDC, the frail white cadres and academics had to painfully maroon from their original party MDC-T to form MDC-M. But it was only after they had received enough beatings from their comrades. On the other hand, Mugabe had to massively employ the youth and drill them ideologically before they were let loose to maraud the electoral subjects. Border Gezi youths were in every queue for basic necessities. Later the very black boots soldiers would visit public areas like recreational night sports and beat all revealers wantonly. The electorate was hardened to vote opposition for Mugabe was using the gvt institutions from the same tax payers’ coffers as they did on March 29. Mugabe talks of a war if he loses while Tsvangirai and backers talk of more sanctions and possible military intervention when Mugabe wins, all in an effort to intimidate and sway the vote of the electorate and its outcome. Big names like the UN are now, unprecedented, dazzling with internal issues of member states against the dictates of their charter in again an effort to feed the regime change agenda with precincts. At least the youths here are talkative and using clenched fists unlike that intimidation in Kenya where the “no Raila no peace” people had machetes, knives and spears butchering everyone in broad day light. The coercion here is bad but can not surpass Iraq and Afghanistan’s UK/US shock and devastation wars. The reality is yet to be proved after the run-off election.

Feeding

The re-run was on and it was time to show naked promises on how one loves the same poor electoral subjects. Morgan had all it planned with his backers in NGOs and western embassies, feed the nation! Bobby was watching and could not have his same plan overtaken, NO. All NGOs were to be suspended from doing their duties for they were infiltrated and intoxicated by the western regime change agenda. Mugabe then introduced the FEED THE NATION mobile shops. Food is aplenty and cheap up till big Friday like usual. The youth changed alliance as usual and now would want to be part of history making again. There is ZANU campaign material galore and very stylish too, while people are having a good time clothing themselves the youth is all out to make a mark forcing the poor electoral subjects to put on zanu campaign bandanas. The middle edged who are perceived to be MDC are having a torrid time, the structures for voting is clear and the plan seem to be putting the recently outvoted leader of the revolution to the steering wheel again. Now that the youths are for Zanu and doing the same violent business, elections have to be discredited and the Zimbabwean people are said to be oppressed. Oppressed? Who really define and determine African elections then?

Treachery

There seems a belief that a new very poor gvt in Africa will not last a day without financial backing from traditional erstwhile colonisers. New faces must protect themselves from possible civil torpedo. In 1980 Mugabe had to negotiate for land resettlement with the defeated English establishment, he needed money to propel national goals and had to sacrifice the land that had been the cause of rivers of blood lost during the liberation struggle. The English would perpetuate supremacy of their preferred white race amongst natives by use of money on land tenure. Mugabe received loads of money from the UK delaying proper return of land to natives for 20 years. Tsvangirai seeks to reverse the whole liberation struggle in an attempt to fund his gvt if he comes to power and the Englishman is mesmerized. Africans just need to have a decent home grown destiny but its leaders are feeble to endure with the people.

Personalities

Bobby and Morgan have become institutions of oppression as Britain is to its tax payers when it promises sanctions, war or loads of money to a far away gvt, unrecognized by hard working Britons. It is painful to vote for an individual between Morgan and Robert when one is so ravenous. It would have been exciting if the vote was conducted in an atmosphere of hope for Morgan Tsvangirai (le bravo), who has been strong enough to tell the political leadership of today that they have delayed in wrapping up the liberation goals and government and that new times necessitate fresh challenges. How wonderful if the vote was to be conducted in the spirit of optimism for Robert Mugabe (APCGM), the legendary anti-imperialist African Political Chase Grand Master who has given hope for a totally free continent from the shackles of colonial and neocolonial westerners. Mugabe has given us an insight of possibilities as Africans that 500 years of ghastly oppression can be defeated by strong will.

Let the winner of these elections be declared, but alas, it has been by hook and crook as is always with all elections of the world, specifically, third world elections.

Your article asks "Will our leaders, meeting in Sharm el-Sheick, have enough political will to act?"

The article says that the legal steps that can be taken, as described in the Lome declaration, are that the AU (1) openly condemn the actions and clearly indicate to the perpetrator that the AU will not tolerate the takeover; (2) then the Central Organ urgently meet to discuss & issue a statement; (3) then a period of 6 months is given to the perpetrator of unconstitutional change to withdraw & hold new elections. During this period the govt concerned is excluded from the AU. (4) If the govt doesnt comply after 6 months "a range of limited and targeted sanctions against the regime will be imposed - may include travel bans and trade restrictions".

Even if the African leaders do have the political will to act, do you really think that the above action will have the slightest impact on Robert Mugabe? He has made it abundantly clear that he is holding on, even if it means that everyone and everything (including himself) is destroyed in the process.

If it gets to (3) above, this would be the greatest gift to Mugabe. He will use this to prolong his illegal reign even further. As is happening right now, he is calling for elections but no-one will stand against him (understandably) because of wholescale intimidation, torture and murder. He will call for elections at that point (with the same wholescale murder, torture and intimidation). And we will then be in exactly the same place as we are now. He will obviously give the argument to the AU: "But I'm following your instructions and am trying to hold elections, but no-one will stand against me". And the delays (with the dangerous and illegal body in control of the country) will go on and on.

Even if it ever gets to (4) - travel bans and trade restrictions - this will have as much impact on him as a fly on the back of a rhinoceros.

Mugabe will show the same disregard, disdain and contempt to the AU as he has shown for many years to the citizens of his country. He has repeatedly displayed psychopathic tendencies - how do you deal with someone like that?

I can't see how the legal power of the AU, as described in the article, can have any effect whatsoever.

Of course Mbeki has the power to stop Mugabe right in his tracks. Has Mbeki done anything even remotely critical of Mugabe? To quote Mugabe, "Never, ever"! What would be the trigger necessary for Mbeki to get really involved in the Zimbabwe "problem"? What must happen in Zimbabwe for Mebeki to take positive, direct action? Let's analyze this problem. Killing political opponents, is that the trigger for Mbeki? Apparently not since good friend Bob has been doing that for years and old friend Mbeki hasn't opened his mouth. Rigging elections? Of course this isn't a problem. That's the way old friendly dictators do business. What else might happen before Mbeki developes a backbone? How about if the number of people running out of Zimbabwe increases ten fold? Again not a real problem, our wonderful citizens will kill them off or force them back home. There must be something that will get Mbeki's attention. What if the opposition MDC folks finally have had enough and start to fight back? Ops!!! Now that would be a very real and tragic problem that would require Mbeki to take extremely strong and aggressive action to correct. Well, I believe we have just solved all the problems in Zimbabwe. Start a civil war and Mbeki and the SADC leaders won't be able to act fast enough to put things back in proper order. I'm glad we finally got a handle on the situation. However, first we should create a committee to determine if a group should be formed to discuss the possibility of a regional meeting of leaders to formulate a policy statement or possible action in the event that inspectors might be needed to look into any suspected wrongdoing...........it just keeps going and going. Thak you.

If Mbeki want's to get old Bob's attention all he has to do is TURN OFF THE JUICE TODAY! If all of Zim went dark, that election would be cancelled or postponed right away. SA needs to let Zimbabwe know that there will be no electricity until there is a meeting between Mugabe and Tsvangirai and a true government of national unity is proclaimed with Mugabe retiring, and Tsvangirai as President.

What is making the political situation in Zimbabwe to be resolved is that because, the West is so involved especially the UK and America. The world is better place without this two Countries.

This is an African problem and must be solved by African alon.

Mugabe is a revolutionary leader and freedom fighter for Black Africa. His enemies are those Europeans who want to continue to oppress Africans and they will use other Africans as political pawns to gain control of Africa again. Mbeki knows this and so do those in the Pan African movement. Ghadafi supports Mugabe, Castro supports Mugabe, Farrakhan supports Mugabe...now list the names of those who don't support Mugabe and I will list the Europeans behind the scene who pulls the string of the puppet.

While the politics that made colonialism possible do persist, somewhat, in today's world, and we should forget them, thing are much more complex. When Mugabe, and all the other reactionaries, speak about the world as simply a black/white struggle, they are being as simple-minded and daft as Bush when talks about "the evil-doers," or the people who "hate freedom" and the people who "love freedom." Let's call kindergarten circle-time to an end, and talk real politics.

I am pleased to know that AU has the legal ability, capacity, power to suspend the country from its membership, require new elections, and punish Robert Mugabe by recognizing Morgan Tsvangirai as the legitimate president of Zimbabwe in keeping with Zimbabwe's Constitution and Electoral Act of 2004 and under the AU's Declaration on the Framework for an OAU Response to Unconstitutional Changes of Government.

This position is in agreement with the position taken by Kenyan Prime Minster Raila Odinga as outlined below:

"Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s critical remarks about Zimbabwe have reverberated through a speech he delivered Tuesday at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) during his first official visit to the United States. Describing the southern African country as an eyesore and an embarrassment to the African continent, Odinga called for President Robert Mugabe to resign if he fails to win Zimbabwe’s June 27 presidential run-off election. He criticized the silence of some African leaders, who he said have failed to speak out about election irregularities in Zimbabwe. The Kenyan prime minister also urged South African President Thabo Mbeki and other regional leaders of the Southern African Community (SADC) to get international monitors on the ground in time to curb election fraud in Zimbabwe’s presidential run-off. Journalist Paul Ndiho covered Mr. Odinga’s Washington speech for the Voice of America’s TV to Africa. He says that the prime minister came by his personal views on the Zimbabwe crisis from first-hand electoral experience in his own country.

“I don’t think he was speaking on behalf of the Kenyan government because we haven’t heard President Kibaki say something along these lines. I think he was speaking in his capacity as the prime minister of Kenya and in his capacity as Raila Odinga, who is also a Pan-Africanist, who wants to see change in Zimbabwe. He called himself a pessimistic African, who thinks that African leaders ought to do more to stop the silence and maybe speak out more about what’s going on in Zimbabwe,” said Ndiho.

Odinga, the presidential candidate for Kenya’s main opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), became prime minister in April in a coalition government, sharing power with the disputed winner of last December 27 Kenyan presidential elections, incumbent President Mwai Kibaki. Ndiho notes that Raila Odinga is optimistic in describing how Kenya’s own power sharing government is emerging after three months of hard negotiations, determined to succeed in restoring stability and bringing economic recovery.

“He said they are very, very hopeful that this coalition government will work. But if it works, then it’s going to be a model for other African states in the future. He talked about how the coalition government has come together not only to look at what happened during the post-election violence, but he also talked about what the government is doing as far as resettling the IDP’s, the land issue in Nyanza province. He pretty much touched on every single thing the coalition government is trying to do to bring back Kenya to what it was before the election. And he also urged the US government and other partners to come back to Kenya, not to watch from the sidelines, but to help them rebuild a country that was once known as a beacon of hope for Africa,” he said.

Besides resettlement assistance, Ndiho cites economic assistance, support for health care, and tourism as areas in which Washington can help the Nairobi government get back on its feet.

“The number one thing would be the economy because they lost so much when they went through that period of violence. So basically, he’s urging the US government and other concerned partners to give a helping hand to Kenya, not in terms of development, but maybe aid that can help to relocate those people who are displaced, aid that can go to the health care system, aid that can go to the tourism industry, which has been, even still is the bread and butter of Kenya,” he said.

Prime Minister Odinga also addressed hunger as another pressing issue, affecting large regions of his country and also affecting Kenya’s role in serving as a hub for hunger relief in neighboring Somalia. He spoke about Kenya’s role as a US ally in the war against terrorism and welcomed foreign investment in Kenyan business as the way to build a secure future. Journalist Ndiho also noted that it was ironic but understandable that much of the Kenyan prime minister’s discussion yesterday at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) focused on the political crisis in another African country.

“I think that the reason Zimbabwe took center stage is simply because he’s one of those African leaders who has spoken out against the (Mugabe) regime because he’s been a victim in Kenya. He won the election, and – according to him, he’s the president who was never sworn in. That is how he put it. So I think when he looks back at what he went through last year and the early part of this year, somehow, it keeps on resonating in his mind. And with all that is going on right now in Zimbabwe, he said there is no way they can have an independent, later on, free and fair election".

Africa should not sit supinely and permit Mugabe to steal, cheat the elections and cause havoc in that hungry stricken country. It is about time that Africa leaders act decisivley and very swiftly to resolve the political stalemate in the country.

If the western world intervenes, we tend to blame them so it is Africa's time to call a spade a spade and bring peace, tranquility, and harmony in Zimbabwe. MDC won 48 percent of the votes under difficult circumstances. Why not recognize their leader as the sole winner of the elections and declare him President of Zimbabwe?

While not denying the complex problem of neo-colonialism, it is hard for a Westerner who truly hates to see injustice anywhere to believe that Mugabe, or any of the host of African dictators of the past half-century, have anything but there own best interest in mind. When opposition activists are killed by the scores, beaten and harrassed by the tens of thousands, and people forced to flee the country by the hundreds of thousands as a result of disastrous economic policies on the part of the ZANU-PF (Mugabe's 'redistribution' of land to his own cronies, NOT to the people of Zimbabwe), it is clear that Mugabe is no longer a liberator. He is a corrupt and unprincipled despot who will stop at nothing to hold onto power.

I do not believe that the people of Zimbabwe are so ignorant as to believe Mugabe's broken-record rationale of blaming every problem on the West. It is Mugabe, first and foremost who must take the blame, and the voting last spring proved that this is the view of most Zimbabweans, even in the face of violent intimidation. For this, I praise the brave people of Zimbabwe. Now if only some African leaders, Mbeki in particular, would have the courage and intelligence to make a similar stand (as, it should be noted, Mr. Mandela has recently done) and put an end to this inhumane madness, perhaps the West would not feel compelled to 'interfere'.

I find Faten Aggad's articles at worst hypocritical and at best Naive about political will and regional organisations world wide and specifically Africa. His reading of the Zimbabwean constitution is purely opinion oriented. The AU is an association of members who willingly come together. The Chairman of AU's responsibility is to built consensus on various issues, and this would include Zimbabwe. It is not a power or authority on it's members. In truth, the AU is more a facilitate organisation than an organisation that imposes sanctions on its members. Calls to make the AU stronger were suggested by Libya, but overwhelming rejected by the AU member states. The AU's role is not to impose it's will on member state, but to build common sense consensus.

Faten Aggad, always feels that the AU should follow the western world led on issues, this would include Zimbabwe. Most AU members are aware of the western intention of using the AU, this has repeatedly been rejected. There is no desire by member states to create a stronger AU for now. Maybe in the future, however such an AU will not necessary follow the western world. Fatan, your thesis on AU are wrong!

With respect to Phiri's comments: My reference to sanctions is not my own making but the AU's making. I hereby refer to the constitutive act of the AU as well as other instruments including the declaration on a Framework for an OAU Response to Unconstitutional Changes of Government. If our heads of states sign a document, they should abide by it. I believe that, contrary to what Phiri,it is our responsibility as civil society to ensure that governments adhere. Over with the days where we allow them to do as they please while we sit back finding excuses.

A framework of understanding does not necessary constitute laws and sanctions. Most laws in many countries are changed thru a constitution refrendum, and not thru civil society! Civil Society in Africa is increasingly imposing it's will on many African gov'ts. And who the hell are these civil society people? They are unelected, and this poses a problem when people who have not been elected start acting as a governing bodies for rules! This is a major infraction to any people. People elect their representative to inact the law, and not thru civil society.

The role of the civil society has increasingly become antagonists against representative African gov'ts and this is not democracy. Most NGOs and civil societies are funded by foreign gov't and many in SADC argue by white racists not willing to support the majority gov't. Fagan, for your information, more African countries already see this and are banning civil society from abroad whose goal is governance issues. The problem is that anybody can call themselves as members of civil society! The CIA, UK M40 are all using so-called civil society to spy on African gov'ts. We deserve better scholarship from you!

Being a person of european heritage who was born in Zimbabwe during the 2nd world war, I left 'Rhodesia' in 1961 not happy about the social situation there at that time. I subsequently campaigned in support of south africans to object to the apartheid system. Now I feel very disappointed that south african leaders seem unable to have the moral clarity to see that what is happening in Zimbabwe is wrong and censure it. Are they morally colour blind? To support people of your own race when they are wrong, is still wrong...

Until the AU steps in and rids africa of this monster he will create another uganda if he already hasn't. I'm very glad that our Canadian Gov. is talking about sanctions against mugabe. Until the AU stands forward and protects all the peoples of Africa you will be encouraging warlord politicians such as mugabe to exist. The people of Africa will be no better off 100 yrs. from now than they are now. God forbid.

eejohnson, you sound very hyperbolic and your comments are very generic about Africa. The people of Africa will be no better off 100 years? what is that and what do you mean? The fact is Africa is a big continent with 54 countries and the history of Africa shows that after colonialism, countries do go thru this period of chaos, before they get better. Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Serra leon, Uganda, Kenya, Democratic republic of Congo,Angola, Mozambique Rwanda - have all gone this kind of period and have actually emerged better than before.

The countries that I mentioned went thru a period when the international community showed a lot of outrage, but nothing more. It took a long time and a lot of negotiations by African countries to solve most of these problems. The western world always show a lot of outrage and urges quick fix solutions, when issues faced by African countries are not real a quick fix. For your information even Zimbabwe's problems will not be solved by simply issuing a lot of hyperbolic statements. But a lot of negotiations will first have to take place. Other wise you end up with "Iraq" so-called success, when the problems have not be fixed. A long term approach, not quick fixes is need to solve Zimbabwe problems.

Can we get back to the FACTS of 80% unemployment, 1,000,000% inflation and 30% of the population of Zimbabwe living outside it's borders?

ZANU-PF/Mugabe has "achieved", in the words of Nelson Mandela, "A tragic failure of leadership"! Does anyone want to argue the wisdom of Nelson Mandela? Phiri? Kuba? Anyone? Does anyone doubt that Mr. Mandela would have been happy/ectstatic to inherit South Africa in the state that Mr. Mugabe found Zimbabwe in 19080?

A country once the breadbasket of Africa, a net-exporter relegated to a net-importer of foodstuffs, a country where a secrecy of the ballot-box no longer applies, a country where freedom of conscience no longer applies. What can ZANU-PF/Mugabe fear from a free election when they have so nobly served the people of Zimbabwe under their stewardship?

ZANU-PF/Mugabe has only delivered independence from white-rule, nothing else! It is one thing to lead a laberation, it is quite another to govern for the benefit of all liberated persons. ZANU-PF/Mugabe has failed in that and, to them, the PEOPLE of Zimbabwe, have had the temerity to renounce them!

Sadly, we are far from the end-game. Mugabe cannot rule Zimbabwe now with the MDC in control of parliament. His only option is too disband parliament, for which the people of Zimbabwe, and the world, will call him to account.

The game is being played into "injury-time", but even if Mugabe prevails in the travesty that is the "run-off" he will be unable to govern, and the MDC dominated parliament will continually "nip at the heels" of the ZANU-PF/Mugabe establishment until they are rendered feeble.

A change is going to come, just not within the timeframe we all hoped an prayed it would come within! The FACTS do not support the continuation of the current regime!

"ZANU-PF/Mugabe has "achieved", in the words of Nelson Mandela, "A tragic failure of leadership""!

Madiba said 'no such thing'! What the Big Man said was:

"...we spoke out on the situation in Palestine and Israel, and that conflict continues unabated. We warned against the invasion of Iraq, and observe the terrible suffering in that country. "We watch with sadness the continuing tragedy in Darfur. Nearer to home we had seen the outbreak of violence against fellow Africans in our own country and the tragic failure of leadership in our neighbouring Zimbabwe. "It is within this context that we should also see the plight of those affected by HIV and Aids".

"the tragic failure of leadership in our neighbouring Zimbabwe" is the failure of TWO leaders; opposition leader, Tsvangirai (who has failed to provide leadership to his supporters by spending most of the time since March 29 elections outside of the country including time in a European, non-African Embassy) and government leader, Mugabe (who has been provocative in rhetoric and failed to sufficiently condemn political violence), and who between them have failed to keep peace in their, hitherto, peaceful country and who'd failed to finalise elections (at the time Mandela spoke) whilst so shamelessly washing their dirty linen in public whilst ordinary Zimbabweans, supporters of both as well as neither, suffer.

It speaks volumes and confirms what Africans refusing to condemn Mugabe have long known; that Western media and Western government bias is so blantant that they've almost universally reported Mandela as criticising Mugabe (which Mandela deliberately did NOT do specifically nor explicitly) without pointing out that he was also and at the same time, criticising Tsvangirai.

http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5imhcd4-O5lcDINlaAWmo1VipB_2Q