Levels of post-election violence in Zimbabwe are escalating in urban and rural areas and could reach crisis proportions, the United Nations senior representative in the country said on Tuesday.
”These incidents of violence are occurring in communal farming and urban areas and there are indications that the level of violence is escalating in all these areas and could reach crisis levels,” Agustino Zacarias, the UN’s resident representative in Zimbabwe, told reporters.
Zacarias said most of the violence appeared to have been inflicted by supporters of President Robert Mugabe on suspected followers of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), but the MDC had also carried out attacks.
”There is an emerging pattern of political violence inflicted mainly, but not exclusively, on rural supporters of the MDC,” he said.
”There are reports that MDC supporters are also resorting to violence.”
The diplomat said that aid workers, human rights activists and large numbers of civilians had also fallen victim to violence since a March 29 general election, when Mugabe’s party lost control of Parliament to the MDC.
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai also beat Mugabe but fell short of an overall majority and the pair must now do battle in a run-off election, the date of which has still to be announced.
”The UN country team is particularly concerned that this level of violence, reports of threats, intimidation, abuse and violence directed against NGOs, election monitors, human rights defenders and other representatives of civil society,” said Zacarias.
”The UN country team is deeply concerned about the number of internally displaced people that have fled their homes for fear of reprisals by party activists.”
Meanwhile, Tsvangirai said on Tuesday he would contest a presidential run-off against Mugabe, even if only regional observers could be present.
Tsvangirai had previously called for unfettered access for international observers, which the government rejected.
”At the moment the obligation is on the Southern African Development Community (SADC). I am sure that they will fulfil their obligations, especially to send SADC peacekeepers and observers,” he told Reuters in a telephone interview. ”For us that is sufficient.”
Asked how long he was willing to wait for a run-off, after electoral authorities said there would likely be a delay, he said: ”The thing is that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, if it has to extend the time of a run-off, it has to do so within a reasonable period. I’m sure that SADC will also be pressurising them to set a date.” — AFP, Reuters