Late Night Zim-Post: Fodder for Insomnia

A BBC report investigates the lasting impact of the massacres in Matabeleland in the mid-1980s, carried out by Mugabe’s Fifth Brigade, an elite security force trained in North Korea. Mugabe’s attempt to deal with about 500 supporters of his main rival at the time, Joshua Nkoma, became a campaign characteristic of ethnic cleansing, in which at least 20,000 members of the Ndebele population were murdered. (Mugabe and most of his security forces are Shona.) Many of the deaths occurred in a concentration camp set up by the Fifth Brigade.

Sadly, this is but one of many examples of Mugabe’s use of violence to consolidate power.

In the Washington Post tonight: A group of ZANU-PF youths killed 11 opposition supporters.

News: Elusive Peace

• Burundi: Click here for an analysis of the country’s current political situation and the difficulties faced by efforts to initiate a peace process between the government and the main rebel group.
• Uganda: A press release from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) describes efforts to salvage the peace process in Northern Uganda, which has been continually stalled by rebel leader Joseph Kony’s determination to evade any kind of accountability for his human rights abuses.
• Iraq: The Washington Post describes the hurdles to creating a lasting peace in Iraq.
• Lebanon: The U.S.-backed government and Iran/Syrian-backed Hezbollah exchanged gunfire in the capital Beirut, escalating a political conflict that WaPo describes as “the country's worst internal crisis since the 1975-90 civil war.”
• Somalia: Though the government refutes an Amnesty International report on abuses committed against civilians, other sources say the report only scratches the surface of Somalia’s human rights disaster.
• Burma: As the number of dead or missing reaches 60,000 in the aftermath of Saturday’s cyclone, the Bush administration is stepping up its criticism of the country’s ruling military junta for delays in approving visas for international assistance teams.
• Zimbabwe: I opened up several articles to read and include in this post, but honestly, there’s nothing new to say right now. The AU, SADC, UN, etc etc are all meeting and discussing. Thabo Mbeki is reportedly involved somehow. Violence continues. Elections may be delayed up to a year. Whatever.

Tuesday Morning News

• Kenya: So far 10,000 internally-displaced persons (IDPs) have returned to their homes after fleeing post-election violence. More than 1,200 people died and 350,000 were displaced after a disputed election in December.
• Burma: The death toll from the cyclone that hit Burma on Saturday has hit 22,000, according to state media sources. Hundreds of thousands are cut off from fresh water and shelter. Yesterday, in a surprising move, First Lady Laura Bush addressed a press conference and condemned the military junta for their failure to warn the population about the approaching storm and for their “inept” response to the disaster. Mrs. Bush, who does not typically take public position on high-profile policy issues, has emerged as a leader of the campaign against the abusive military dictatorship. The devastation also led the government to postpone a constitutional referendum, intended to further consolidate the junta’s power, in the worst-hit parts of the country. The New York Times writes, “The postponement of the vote, a centerpiece of government policy, along with an appeal for foreign disaster relief assistance, were difficult concessions by an insular military junta that portrays itself as all-powerful and self-sufficient.”
• China/Tibet: Read about the plight of a woman trying to publicize the plight of Tibetans in the face of Chinese censorship.
• Zimbabwe: The MDC reports that 4 more of its supporters were killed by ZANU militants. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon is set to hold talks with the African Union and the Southern Africa Development Community regarding an international role in Zimbabwe’s potential upcoming runoff election. The AU will also address the issue itself, after the newly-appointed chairman visited Zim and South Africa over the weekend. No date for the runoff has been set, though Mugabe and ZANU-PF already started their campaign.

The Manic Monday News Brief

• Somalia: Soldiers in Mogadishu killed 2 after opening fire on a crowd (according to witnesses) rioting against the rapidly increasing cost of basic food items—a problem created by, among other things, the increasing cost of fuel and increasing demand by India and China. In addition to creating conditions for potential widespread famine, the skyrocketing cost of food is adding fuel to the fire of existing conflicts across the developing world. In Somalia, hyperinflation of the currency, attributed to counterfeiting and the extended absence of a functioning central government, is also contributing to the crisis.
• Kosovo/Albania: Human Rights Watch compiled additional documentation to support allegations that an estimated 400 Serbs were abducted and transferred from Kosovo to Albania after the war. Some evidence suggests that the abductions may have been part of an organ trafficking ring.
• Uganda: The leadership of the Lord’s Resistance Army is reportedly growing tired of commander Joseph Kony’s waffling over the peace process, and have told him either to sign or gather forces for a coup. I’d be careful, if I were one of these officers—the last time people expressed internal dissent, Kony had them all killed.
• Rwanda: The Rwandan government accused the DRC of not complying with an agreement to begin disarming the FDLR militia. The FDLR—comprised largely of Rwandan militants responsible for the 1994 genocide, many of whom have expressed their desire to return to Rwanda and renew their campaign of ethnic cleansing—recently resumed attacks on Congolese civilians.
• Last, but certainly not least—Zimbabwe: Teachers are threatening to strike in protest of assaults at the hands of government and ZANU-PF militants. Many teachers worked as polling officers during the disputed March 29 elections, had have been targets for violence ever since. The East African Law Society and the Law Society of the South Africa Development Community (SADC) are preparing to pursue legal action through the ICC against China for armament deals with Zimbabwe. The Chairman of the ZEC accused the MDC of “playing games” with the vote verification process. (Pot, meet Kettle.) Some analysts say that even if Mugabe is able to pull of a run-off victory, he will be severely weakened in his sixth term in office and his rule will be decidedly different. That may be so, but it’s hard to find solace in such an idea when you consider the tactics he is likely to use to continue is grip on the country…

Independence, Impartiality, Transparency...did I mention it's Opposite Day?

What’d I tell you—another article says the MDC has not yet decided whether or not it will participate in a runoff. I’m going to stop writing about this topic until I have an official statement from Morgan Tsvangirai.

But in even more ridiculous news…the government says that a runoff election may be delayed up to a year! The Zimbabwe constitution mandates that a runoff occur within three weeks of the original election—clearly that ship has sailed—but grants the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission the power to extend that period. And who’s on the ZEC? Mugabe’s political appointees. Using the ZEC to extend your hold on power—I must hand it to you, Bobby Mugabe, you are one crafty old bastard.

Need a laugh? Check out the ZEC’s website. “Independence, Impartiality, Transparency,” my ass.

Sunday Zim-date and Other News, for your reading (dis)pleasure

The Zimbabwe Standard reports that the MDC decided to reject the runoff election, calling instead of Mugabe to concede defeat. However, every time I open Google Reader there’s a contradictory headline about that, so take this one with a grain of salt. Or a huge heaping pile of salt. Another headline for the saltlick: The Cape Argus—which, if I remember correctly from my time in South Africa, is a bit like the New York Post of Cape Town—sets the casualty figures in Zimbabwe at 7,000. The paper is unclear about its source for this figure.

The Zimbabwe Standard also ran an op-ed on Sunday by Simba Makoni—an opposition candidate in the March 29 presidential elections who failed to win much support—arguing that a Government of National Unity (GNU) is the country’s only option. Though Makoni is right in his assessment of the deep divisions in Zimababwe’s political class, I have a hard time envisioning an effective GNU in the country. Mugabe and ZANU-PF have too long a history of violence and corruption—a well-documented keep-power-at-all-costs ideology—and I, for one, have little to no faith that they can be negotiated into any kind of power sharing agreement. Or if they are, that they will abide by its provision. Maybe I’m wrong, but I tend to take a learn-from-history approach to these things. (Read Martin Meredith’s Mugabe: Power, Plunder, and the Struggle for Zimbabwe, and you’ll see what I mean.) Makoni’s argument is not disinterested—he personally could have much to gain by a GNU, as the SADC and the U.S. earlier this week proposed a GNU in which Makoni would be a key member—a proposition promptly rejected by the MDC.

In other Sunday news: Nicholas Kristof opines on Guantanamo Bay in his Sunday column. Rwandans are anxiously awaiting the trial of a former high-ranking civil servant for charges of genocide—it is set to begin tomorrow at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania. The government of Malaysia proposed restrictions on the travel of unaccompanied women. The leader of Nepal’s Maoist party says their recent election victory is an indication of a “global resurgence of communism.” (Dear God, let’s hope not.) And finally, representatives of the Dalai Lama began talks with China to address human rights and other issues in Tibet.

Saturday News

• Rwanda and Germany: A guest post on Nicholas Kristof’s blog describes how Rwanda and Germany are working together to address genocide in the 21^st century.
• Sri Lanka: An Amnesty International report describes human rights abuses against journalists, committed by both sides—the Tamil Tigers and the government—in the country’s ongoing civil war.
• Senegal: Bus meets landmine—one killed, 20 injured. The landmine is believed to have been planted by a rebel group seeking independence for the Casamance region, in violation of a 2004 peace accord, and is on the latest of a series of landmine explosions along the same road. Landmines are dirty, dirty business.
• Zimbabwe: Human Rights Watch released a statement calling the upcoming runoff elections in Zimababwe a “tragic joke” due to the prevailing climate of violence and intimidation towards opposition supporters. U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey also cast doubt on the possibility of a fair election. Conflicting reports indicate uncertainty over the participation of the opposition MDC party in the runoff—the BBC writes that a meeting ended without resolution on the matter. Speaking at a press conference, The U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe, James McGee, said that the embassy has document over 500 cases of violence since the March 29 elections, only one of which was carried out by an MDC supporter. A UN report states that teachers and schools are being targeted by government and ZANU-PF forces.