Hit squads have been formed to target opposition politicians branded ‘undesirables†by the state, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change said this week.
‘It reminds of [Nicolai] Ceaucescu,†said opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, referring to the former president of Romania, on Wednesday. ‘That’s the mark of a dictator; that’s how he deals with his political opponents,†he told the Mail & Guardian just before police arrested him and 20 other MDC activists.
Tsvangirai was due to hold a press conference to denounce recent human rights violations and the formation of the hit squads, which the MDC says are ‘coordinated by state security agentsâ€.
It says these ‘developments leave no one in any doubt that tyranny has taken root in Harare and SADC leaders need to take a solid position on the deteriorating situation in the country. The region owes it to posterity to rein in [President Robert] Mugabe.â€
Opposition activists are being abducted, tortured or beaten to a pulp as the repression of dissenting voices reaches new levels. Mugabe warned last week that his government will heavily arm the police. The Zanu- PF youth league declared it will ‘take the law into our own hands†against the opposition.
‘It was common in Latin America and Asian countries where there was a dictator,†said John Makumbe, University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer. ‘In Africa, Idi Amin used hit squads against opponents and former Malawi leader Kamuzi Banda used hit squads to kill his ministers,†Makumbe said. ‘We are already taking that route.â€
Nelson Chamisa, the spokes-person for the MDC, said this week that 116 activists had been abducted throughout the country in the past two weeks, while others have ‘just been beaten and left for deadâ€.