22 November 2008
Cape Town — Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has barred the former United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, the former United States President, Jimmy Carter, and the advocate for the rights of women and children, Graça Machel, from entering Zimbabwe.
The three were due to arrive in Zimbabwe on Saturday to assess the country's growing humanitarian crisis. Millions of Zimbabweans are facing food shortages, the country's educational and health systems are grinding to a halt and there have been outbreaks of cholera.
But news agencies reported that the group had been denied travel visas. The organizers of the visit, the group of former leaders calling themselves "The Elders," said in a statement on Saturday that "the government of Zimbabwe has refused to cooperate in any way to make the visit possible."
Delegations of "Elders" from the group, including Carter and Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, have in the past visited other areas of conflict, including Darfur, with the co-operation of the governments concerned.
Annan said in Saturday's statement that he had prepared for the visit by speaking to "many regional leaders" in southern Africa, who welcomed the proposed visit.
"Millions of people are in need of help in Zimbabwe," Annan said in the statement. "We want to use our influence to increase the flow of assistance, immediately and in the longer term, to stop the terrible suffering. We are here to show solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe and to assure them that they are not alone."
Machel - also the wife of Nelson Mandela and the widow of former Mozambican president and Mugabe ally Samora Machel - said the Zimbabwean government's ban on the visit was "deeply regrettable."
"People are dying from hunger every day... and hospitals are unable to treat the sick. With schools struggling to stay open, children are missing out on an education. One in four children has lost one or both parents... We want to talk to the people and hear their stories directly"
The delegation is already in South Africa. Carter said the group would remain in the region to learn as much as it could about the situation in Zimbabwe. The Elders was formed in response to an initiative by British businessman Richard Branson and musician Peter Gabriel.
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"Icho.
I am forever perplexed by the strident tones of your comments. The three Elders were simply trying to assess the humanitarian situation, not the political issues. Furthermore, Desmond Tutu was not part of the delegation so your comments regarding his non-acceptability to the "Regime" was unfounded and simply shows that you do not read the articles completely.
What is your problem?....Do you want a catastrophe to occur? Are you even in Zimbabwe? Cholera and Starvation know no political affiliation.
You need a reality check.
Exactly, this is about a humanitarian crisis.
Hi, Dave! ------ “You need a reality check.” Really???? If you have any modicum of integrity in your blood, think again my friend. Read up on the same thing happening next door before you chastise brother “Icho”. The country next door, namely Rep of Congo, is under dire need of the same things these Elders are talking about. Yet they don’t even lift a finger. Don’t be fooled. These elders may be shedding crocodile tears. One wonders. Whose bidding are you in for?
I saw it coming. A direct confrontation of Cdr. MUGABE and Western neo-imperialist reactionary circles and their fifth columnists in Africa entire.
The so-called moribund "Elders", whose time was yesterday, we now hear are organized by the heirs of the rape of Africa. Yes: mediated beneficiaries of European xenophobic grounded imperialism.
Elders, my foot.
ALL WESTERN GOVERNMENTS HAVE INTELLIGENCE UNITS IN ZIMBABWE.
Accordingly, information on the "conditions" of the peoples of Zimbabwe is readily available.
THE TRUTH IS THEY WANT REEGIME CHANGE, these tails of neo-western imperialism.
I REFUSE to play the analogy game: Dafur, the DRC.
Bottom line: the brave fighter made Africa proud today. As for that mendacious Anan, the dude from Ghana, I say: mind your business, daddy o: you did nothing for Africa when you headed the UN. You and others are in this whole thing for benjamins. Go get a real job!
I know I wouldn't want to get paid by a beneficiary of European despotic imperialism.
Again, the Cdr. demonstrates his cat fighting instincts. BRAVO!
Wow. You are amazing. We all know that 10 years from now you'll deny you ever supported your "Cdr Mugabe." You'll be right up there with the rest of us reminiscing about how diffiult and dark these days really were. You can't be serious in defending that man, can you? Your wild conspiracy theories, when the truth is as plain as the nose on your face...Robert Mugabe and company have been an unmitigated disaster for Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans.
The truth? Please. The truth you see so clearly and evidently is a mirage, created by your uncritical, sub-rosa theorization of contestable facts.
MOREOVER, Cdr. Mugabe does not need my support; au contraire, he is fully and robustly supported by the people of Zimbabwe.
Of course, you are free to withhold your support. C'est la vie humaine, n'est pas?
HIGHEST REGARDS.
To be so blind must be a blessing for you. Contestable facts? cholera, starvation, supression, media perversion, beating women and children, murder, the list goes on and on. For all your rosy words and blind support of Mugabe. So fully and robustly supported by the people of Zimbabwe, he had to send in the troops to beat up striking doctors, striking not over pay but the poor conditions of the hospitals, no medication. Great support when the educated stand up and say enough is enough. The people of Zimbabwe should have learnt the lesson of the 2000 referendum, Mugabe lost and he set out to destrot the farming sector whom he blamed. Now he last the March 2008 elections (had to even fudge the results to force a run off)The people of Zimbabwe must now pay for this and are! Mugabe runs the country as his personal fiefdom and will brook no dissent, anyone that crosses him will suffer. The Matabele, the White farmers and now the population. He is beginning to make Mobutu and Idi Amin look like nice guys. Though you probably think they were!
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I wonder how Desmond Tutu expected himself to be acceptable to Zim authorities when he is advocating for regime change, is he normal. Zdera was was enacted in USA and Carter did not oppose it and now wants to come as a seviour, Annan always talking rubbish about Zim administration wants as well to come ....... uh ... he thinks Zim authorities are insensetive to his being fronted by westerners for the latter"s regime change agenda, what a shame, and they now want to hook in Gracia... . Gracia my dear dont allow yourself to be used, these guys have their own hidden agenda. We don"t read on what they say but on what they really are. You think Zims are not intelligent, sorry