The United States said on Wednesday it was ”deeply concerned” about arrests of opposition members in Zimbabwe and called on African nations to publicly denounce the crackdown.
”The United States is deeply concerned about the detention of Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Zimbabwe opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), and other opposition officials today [Wednesday] at the MDC’s headquarters in Harare,” state department spokesperson Tom Casey said in a statement.
Tsvangirai was planning to hold a news conference ”drawing attention to a series of abductions of MDC officials by what are believed to be government agents”, Casey said.
”We hold [Zimbabwe’s] President [Robert] Mugabe responsible for the safety of these Zimbabwean citizens and we call on Zimbabwean authorities to investigate these attacks and punish those responsible.”
According to the MDC, Tsvangirai was briefly arrested, barely two weeks after his arrest on March 11 when he was badly beaten in detention. The Zimbabwean police later on Wednesday denied that he was arrested.
The US State Department spokesperson called on the presidents of the Southern African Development Committee (SADC), which is meeting on Thursday in Tanzania, to ”publicly call Mugabe to account for his misrule”.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International on Wednesday echoed the US.
”We are very concerned by reports of continuing brutal attacks on opposition activists in Zimbabwe and call on the government to stop all acts of violence and intimidation against opposition activists,” said Kolawole Olaniyan, the director of Amnesty’s Africa programme.
”African leaders have allowed the government of Zimbabwe to operate outside the international human rights framework by deciding to adopt a strategy of quiet diplomacy — a tactic that in this case has left the victims of human rights violations to suffer without protection,” Olaniyan said.
”SADC leaders meeting in Tanzania must now send an unequivocal message to the government of Zimbabwe that human rights violations in that country will no longer be tolerated.”
Apart from the political unrest, an inflation rate of 1 730% and unemployment at 80% has led around three million Zimbabweans to emigrate and caused the virtual collapse of an important market for the region.
‘Vindictive brutality’
Australia on Thursday announced a ”vigorous” campaign of support for ordinary Zimbabweans against the regime of Mugabe.
A special fund would aim to alleviate economic hardships and help Zimbabweans reassert their political and civil rights, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said in a statement.
”The Australian government is to launch a new and vigorous campaign of support for the people of Zimbabwe against the repressive and incompetent policies of the Mugabe regime,” he said.
”The Australian Fund for Zimbabwe will aim to alleviate some of the worst effects of Zimbabwe’s economic failures. It will also expand significantly our efforts to help ordinary Zimbabweans reassert their political and civil rights.”
”Australia helped to bring democracy to Zimbabwe in 1980 and is now deeply shocked by the shameful incompetence and vindictive brutality of the Mugabe regime,” Downer said.
Australia had increased its aid for Zimbabwe by 33% this year to an estimated $4,8-million, he said.
”In response to the brutal attacks by the Zimbabwean authorities on its political opponents, Australia’s funding through civil society organisations has been expanded.
”We recognise that more can, and should, be done. We will make further significant increases in our commitment into the future.”
Downer said more than three million Zimbabweans now relied on food aid in a country which was previously a net exporter of food, and that average life expectancy in Zimbabwe was the lowest in the world, at only 33 years. – Sapa-AFP