Tuesday Zim-date: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (though not necessarily in that order)

Despite previous assurances by the ZEC that the results of Zimbabwe’s presidential elections would be released by Monday, the “verification process” for the ballots has yet to commence—whodathunkit? The UN Security Council will address the Zimababwe crisis today, and is expected to recommend the appointment of a Special Representative to monitor the violence and assist a transitional government. As the UN Dispatch writes, this is a huge blow for Mugabe, as South Africa, his long-time ally, is currently the president of UNSC.

Zimbabwe’s ambassador to the UN said that a unity government will be necessary in the near future, regardless of the outcome of the election, as neither party has the ability to control parliament. This is interesting for two reasons, at least: First, it appears that not everyone in the ZANU-PF political machine is operating in sync—one day the newspaper publishes an article calling for a unity government, the next day an article argues against it (see previous posts), and the same goes for a variety of ZANU officials. Secondly, I can’t help but wonder if the thought of getting Mugabe to commit to any kind of power sharing agreement isn’t a tad delusional.

Over 200 MDC supporters were released from jail, after MDC lawyers obtained a court order stating that the police had no basis to hold them after their arrest last week. A BBC contributor also reports that the bodies of two abducted opposition supporters were found near the southern town of Masvingo.

In an article recapping the sequence of events involving the Chinese weapons shipment, which was finally recalled by the Chinese government, the BBC remarks on the incredible victory for the civil society groups, who were able to mobilize public opinion and prevent the ship from unloading its dangerous cargo. It’s astonishingly simple—all it took was a group of outraged citizens working in concert to stand between two governments and their abusive agendas. It makes you think—look at what we’re capable of, and how much more can we do?

Seventy-seven tons of weapons. Think about how many lives were saved.