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Zimbabwe: Denounce Mugabe Or Lose Credibility

3 July 2008

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Recalling her own background of persistent political struggles with fiendish dictatorships, the Liberian leader, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has voiced her disdain over the apparent indifference of many of her male African leaders to outrightly denounce Zimbabwean tyrant Robert Mugabe.

Mugabe, who fought the British to secure liberation for his country, has vowed to remain put as the compensation for his sacrifices to oust the colonial masters.

The despot, who has ruled from independence in 1980, few days ago hijacked democracy through sheer use of thuggery and widespread brutality against the opposition to be declared, as expected by the rubber-stamp electoral body, as winner of an election that he was the only presidential candidate, though he had secured 43 percent to the MDC's Morgan Tsvangara's 47 percent nearly two months back.

Now, Africa's first democratically elected female president has struck a note of distinct aversion with the male comradeship that she gauges as the continental reaction to the daylight democratic robbery in Zimbabwe.

Her call for the denouncing of Bob Mugabe, is a tough stance that political analysts perceive as an acrid water that many of her colleagues will not stomach, in preference of solidarity with the tradition of Old Africa.

The Analyst draws parallels that may work against the denunciatory position.

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has converted a close door session at the summit of AU heads of states and government to squarely call for the denouncing of Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.

The Liberian leader maintained that Mugabe's handling of the concluded elections must be repudiated by AU leaders through rejection of the June 27th elections as not credible and the results as unacceptable. According to her, it is through such decisive actions by the continental leaders that the Union can maintain any semblance of credibility.

The President spoke yesterday during the 13th Ordinary Session of the African Union in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, during a closed session of AU leaders. She further suggested that the international community should work with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to find a lasting solution to the situation in Zimbabwe.

She presented a lesson of Liberian history by saying that the 1985 elections overseen by the slain, former Liberian leader, Samuel K. Doe was endorsed by Africa and the world.

According to her the global endorsement of a rigged process frustrated the true will of the people and this caused the fourteen years civil war that left over two hundred thousand persons dead.

The Liberian leader called on the African Union to be courageous in saying 'all is not well in Zimbabwe' and that the request by SADC for a postponement of the June 27 Zimbabwean elections should be heeded.

The President also supported conclusive statements of the African Union Observer Mission that observed the elections in Zimbabwe on June 27th that the process fell short of the accepted AU standards.

She said similar positions have been taken by the Pan African Parliament; the United Nations Security Council has questioned the credibility of the elections while several elder statesmen of Africa have in various ways questioned the legitimacy of the election results.

In light of these calls, the Liberian leader said African leaders must equally denounce the Zimbabwean elections, saying: 'These persons and institutions cannot all be wrong, cannot all be conspiratorial as we may be made to believe'.

President Johnson-Sirleaf also emphasized that the call for a peacekeeping mission in Zimbabwe is unrealistic.

She added that it may be necessary for SADC in concert with the African Union Peace and Security Council, to put in place some civilian peace monitors who duty it could be to conduct early warning assessments of Zimbabwe in order to monitor and prevent any escalation of the crisis. She finally called on the AU to be consistent in the promotion of standards it ascribes to.

The 13th AU Summit ended yesterday with the Chairman and President Jakaya Kikwete Tanzania giving a summary of what the leaders had achieved during their two-day deliberations.

President Kikwete said the leaders of Africa demonstrated what he referred to as 'the cause of Africa,' saying they discussed the pivotal issues of water and sanitation.

According to him, the leaders agreed on measures to proceed with the management of scarce resources. He also said the global food crisis was discussed with multilateral organizations making commitments on ways they are going to assist the continent in the alleviating the food crisis.

The AU Chairman added that the Union discussed the Millennium Development Goals and launched a landmark consensus report on how to achieve the MDG in Africa. He said the report states that Africa is now only half-way in achieving the MDG by 2015.

President Kikwete also revealed that the leaders had a lengthy discussion on the way forward towards a Union Government of Africa, adding that implementation of the process could commence by the next summit in Addis Ababa in January 2009.

He said the AU looked at its conflict areas on the continent and commended the AU for its work in restoring peace in Kenya. President Kikwete also said the leaders had discussed what he referred to as 'a way forward on Zimbabwe' as well as the progress made with regards the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).

The AU Chairman then characterized the Sharm El-Sheikh gathering as a landmark summit and declared its adjournment.

President Johnson-Sirleaf has left Egypt at the end of the AU Summit for the United States for a private visit. She is scheduled to return to Liberia next week.

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