Flavia Nakagwa
21 July 2008
Kampala — African women activists meeting in Uganda have asked Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe to stop the violence against children and the opposition in his country.
On behalf of the Women's Rights Movement in Africa, Norah Matovu called upon Mugabe to hand over power to another leader peacefully.
"We note with concern the continued suffering of women and children in Zimbabwe. They have been victimised for no reason or cause. Over 220 people, linked with the opposition, have died since March 2008. Several women and children have become victims of sexual abuse," the women said in a letter to Mugabe.
"Mr. Mugabe, you have a great history as one of the freedom fighters of Zimbabwe. You will always be acknowledged and remembered for the great contribution and sacrifice.
"However, we believe that your continued stay in power is not benefiting the majority of the people in your country," the letter added.
Matovu, the executive director of the African Development and Communication Network, urged the African Union and the Southern African Development Community to ensure that Mugabe hands over power by December 2008.
African women activists are attending a workshop on poverty eradication at Metropole Hotel in Kampala.
They wrote a letter to Mugabe and sent copies to all African heads of state.
Last month, Mugabe was sworn in for a new five-year term after election officials declared a landslide victory in a one-man race.
Mugabe won 85% of the vote but many ballots were spoilt.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 New Vision. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
