Human Rights Activists Call for Eminent Africans to Mediate in Zimbabwe

The African Union should replace South African President Thabo Mbeki with a group of impartial eminent persons from the continent to mediate in Zimbabwe’s long-running political crisis, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Sunday.

The human rights body said Mbeki had failed to broker a settlement favorable to both parties in the Zimbabwean crisis.

“A group of impartial eminent persons should be taking the lead to resolve the crisis in Zimbabwe,” said Georgette Gagnon, African director at HRW.

Mbeki has faced criticism from inside and outside Zimbabwe for his silent diplomacy policy towards President Robert Mugabe who is accused of human rights abuses by the opposition.

The South African leader has failed to censure his Zimbabwean ally in the face of recent attacks on supporters of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.

The HRW said the AU should not recognize the results of Friday’s presidential run-off in Zimbabwe which was boycotted by MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai who alleged prevailing conditions made free polls impossible. It urged African states to impose sanctions against Mugabe.

AU foreign ministers have already said the sanctions route would not be the best solution to Zimbabwe’s crisis.

The situation in Zimbabwe, where government violence against opposition supporters continued even after the vote on June 27 is expected to top the agenda at the African Union summit in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt.

“The African Union can help end the violence in Zimbabwe by taking the strongest possible action against Robert Mugabe and his government,” said Gagnon.

HRW also called on the AU to ensure that members of Mugabe’s government and security forces who are implicated in serious human rights violations are excluded from any discussions about a possible government of national unity.

“Mugabe’s brutal hijacking of this election should be reason enough to exclude him from any discussions on a transitional government,” said Gagnon.

“Rather than getting a seat in a new government, Mugabe and other officials responsible for serious abuses should be investigated and held to account.”

The human rights body also called for the immediate deployment of African peacekeepers to Zimbabwe to stop the violence and protect people from further violence and reprisal attacks.

Source African Press Agency

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