Links ~ 8 – 9 June 2008

Zimbabwe: Runoff Vote Will Be ‘Dead on Arrival’ (HRW): 9 June 2008
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has released a 69-page report ‘Bullets for Each of You’, which documents incidents of violence committed by Zanu-PF officials and supporters against MDC activists and perceived MDC supporters. HRW has done extensive research into the role of senior-ranking army and police officers that are inciting and organising Zanu-PF’s terror campaign. The state-sponsored violence has extinguished any chance of free and fair elections in the upcoming presidential run-off. HRW calls upon the African Union (AU) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to use its influence to exert pressure on Robert Mugabe to immediately end the violence and to act against perpetrators of violence in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe: ‘no chance’ of a fair election as Robert Mugabe’s thugs terrorise voters (Telegraph UK: 9 June 2008
The campaign of violence has “extinguished” any chance for “free and fair” elections according to a Human Rights Watch report released on Sunday. In the aftermath of the March 29 elections, 65 people have died and more than 3000 have been injured in attacks. The victims are mostly from previous Zanu-PF strongholds. Nelson Chamisa spokesman for the MDC said that a woman from Mhondoro had died after her arms and legs had been cut off. In another incident in Harare South, a 6-year old boy and his pregnant mother were killed. Pishai Muchauraya MDC spokesman for eastern Zimbabwe said that soldiers were taking girls to their bases and raping them. The soldiers have also surrounded a village and have beaten all the villagers…one by one.

Zim needs international peacekeepers: Tsvangirai (ZimOnline): 9 June 2008
The leader of the MDC, Morgan Tsvangirai has again appealed for the deployment of an international peacekeeping force in Zimbabwe. Tsvangirai said that 3 more MDC supporters have been killed in political violence raising the death toll to more than 60 people. The presence of SADC and UN peacekeepers would help to end the political violence and will help to restore confidence amongst Zimbabweans that they may vote in the presidential run-off without interference. It would furthermore ensure an end to the violent activities of Zanu-PF militia and will ensure closure of the militia torture camps.

‘Military coup’ in Zimbabwe as Mugabe is forced to cede power to generals (Times UK)
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has released a report on Sunday detailing the organised violence unleashed on Zimbabweans after Mugabe’s defeat in the March elections. The campaign of terror has been directly organised by a junta, which took over control of running the country in a move, which senior Western diplomats have described as a “military coup by stealth”. The members of the Joint Operations Command (JOC) are in effect the new rulers of Zimbabwe. The HRW report states that the scale of the violence exceeds anything seen previously in Zimbabwe’s history of electoral violence.

3000 casualties, many fatalities of political violence (Harare Tribune)
Specialist Doctors in Zimbabwe (SDZ) said in a statement that they have in the last 2 months, treated nearly 3000 victims of political violence. SDZ said that it is noted with great concern that there has been an escalation in the politically motivated violence in the country. There have been many victims of all genders and ages who have sustained severe injuries because of the violence. Some of the victims have died because of their injuries. The association includes the Surgical Society of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Anaesthetic Association, National Physicians of Zimbabwe and the Paediatric Association of Zimbabwe. The statement was made on the same day the Zimbabwean government banned aid organisations from giving assistance in Zimbabwe, a move that leave many HIV/AIDS patients and orphans at risk.

‘Zimbabwe is a police state’ (SAPA)
South Africa – Archbishop Thabo Makgoba said on returning from a trip to Zimbabwe that the country is now a “police state”. Makgoba said that the levels of intimidation, which he had witnessed, convinced him that large numbers of international and local observers should be deployed in Zimbabwe for the presidential run-off. During a 4-hour trip to Masvingo, Makgoba said he was stopped at no less than 9 roadblocks manned by armed police officers. He also saw various groups of people in the streets chanting “Mugabe, what should we do with the sell-outs, tell us.” Makgoba said that trucks were transporting these groups around so that they may intimidate people. Makgoba apologised to the Anglican bishops of Zimbabwe for the xenophobic attacks on Zimbabweans in South Africa.

Zimbabwe opposition accuses ruling party militants of preventing rally (Canadianpress)
The MDC has accused Zanu-PF militants of preventing a MDC rally to be held in Harare. Zanu-PF supporters cordoned of an area in a Harare suburb thus preventing access to the area and the rally had to be cancelled. The MDC said that two other rallies would go ahead as planned.

Zimbabwe opposition lawmaker freed amid new claims of violence (AFP)
A Zimbabwean court has freed Eric Matinenga a MDC legislator on Sunday. Matinenga was re-arrested and detained by the police, despite a court order stating that his arrest was unlawful the first time around. Matinenga was arrested the first time when he visited MDC supporters arrested for allegedly committing acts of public violence. Police accused Matinenga that he paid MDC activists in his constituency to launch attacks on Zanu-PF supporters. After a court ordered Matinenga’s release, the police re-arrested him 2 days later on the same charges, necessitating a second court order for his release.

Zimbabwe shelters genocide leader (Times Online)
Major Protais Mpiranya one of the most notorious names linked to the Rwandan genocide is hiding in Zimbabwe. Mpiranya is a Hutu extremist who was in charge of the Rwandan presidential guard. The troops under his command killed the Rwandan prime minister and the Belgian troops protecting her. Despite a $5 million bounty on his head, Mpiranya has been evading justice for 14 years. According to a UN source Mpiranya moves between the Congo and Zimbabwe, it is believed that he has some business links with former army officers who are close to Mugabe.

‘Glamourous’ Grace goes shopping again (Cape Argus)
Sources within the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) said that Grace Mugabe has collected US $80 000 from the central bank to finance her shopping spree in Rome, while Robert Mugabe was attending the UN Food summit. The move angered top officials who said that every penny of forex was needed to buy food and other basic commodities and that there was definitely not any money to waste on designer outfits. Previously Grace Mugabe had colleted US $100 000 to finance a holiday in Thailand and Malaysia during January of this year. Grace got her US $80 000 at an old fixed exchange rate of US $1 to Z$30 000, which means that effectively she got the money for free. Several of the top Zanu-PF officials are able to access cheap forex at the RBZ and this enables them to live in luxury in contrast to the desperate plight of the rest of the country. (Cape Argus)

We will not stand by and watch Mugabe destroy Zimbabwe (The Scotsman)
Douglas Alexander International Development Secretary of the UK said: “We in this country and the international community are not walking by on the other side – yet Mugabe seeks to push us aside. Our aid is not for him, but for the Zimbabweans he makes suffer. But he will find our path is straight and our resolve will not be deflected.”

Alexander said that Britain, the EU and the UN would increase pressure on the Zimbabwean government to allow aid to be given to the hungry. They will continue to press for international observers to be allowed to monitor the presidential run-off. They will continue to encourage the efforts of neighbouring countries to seek a solution to the crisis.

Voters feel bite of Robert Mugabe’s Crocodile (Times Online)
Emmerson Mnangagwa a sinister former spymaster will do anything to let Mugabe win the presidential run-off. Mnangagwa heads a ruthless group of military and security chiefs named the Joint Operations Command (JOC) that is effectively in control of Zimbabwe.

Mnangagwa is in charge of the overall strategy. General Constantine Chiwenga commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Force and Augustine Chihuri commissioner of police are the organisers of the violent campaign against civilians. Chiwenga is seen as instrumental in persuading Mugabe not to quit. Chihuri is Mugabe’s hatchet man in the politburo. Chiwenga and Chihuri has delegated overall operational command geographically between Air Marshall Perence Shiri who controls Mashonaland in the North and General Phillip Sibanda who controls the southern provinces.

This entry was posted by Link Round-up on Monday, June 9th, 2008 at 11:25 am. You can follow any comments on this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.