Showing posts with label Zimbabwe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zimbabwe. Show all posts
11/15/17
Zimbabwe: Military takeover - Mugabe dynasty which has been ruling the former Rhodesia since its independence comes to an end - by Jason Burke
Robert Mugabe
and his family remain under detention in Zimbabwe twelve hours after
the military declared on national television that it had temporarily
taken control of the country to “target criminals” around the head of
state.
The move by the armed forces appears to have resolved a bitter battle to succeed the 93-year-old president, which had pitted his former vice-president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, against his wife, 52-year-old Grace Mugabe.
Mnangagwa was reported to have returned to Zimbabwe on Wednesday morning from South Africa, where he fled after being stripped of his office by Mugabe last week in an apparent attempt to clear Grace’s path to power.
The military takeover comes two days after the army chief – flanked by other senior officers – warned that he was prepared to “step in” to end turmoil in the ruling Zanu-PF party.
It is likely to signal the departure from power of the world’s oldest leader within days, weeks or at most months.
Soldiers have sealed access to parliament, government offices and courts in the capital, residents said. Access to the president’s official residence was also blocked by troops. But Harare appeared calm.
There was no sign of any resistance to the takeover or to the arrest of a series of senior officials associated with Grace Mugabe and her G40 faction. The youth wing of the ruling Zanu-PF, which had made defiant statements directed at the military earlier in the week, appeared to condone the military action.
Mnangagwa, a former spy chief, has strong support among many in Zimbabwe’s armed forces, and it is unclear who might oppose him in coming days.
In contrast, Grace Mugabe is deeply unpopular and has few allies internally or, crucially, regionally.
Read more: Mugabe family in detention after military takes control of Zimbabwe | World news | The Guardian
The move by the armed forces appears to have resolved a bitter battle to succeed the 93-year-old president, which had pitted his former vice-president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, against his wife, 52-year-old Grace Mugabe.
Mnangagwa was reported to have returned to Zimbabwe on Wednesday morning from South Africa, where he fled after being stripped of his office by Mugabe last week in an apparent attempt to clear Grace’s path to power.
The military takeover comes two days after the army chief – flanked by other senior officers – warned that he was prepared to “step in” to end turmoil in the ruling Zanu-PF party.
It is likely to signal the departure from power of the world’s oldest leader within days, weeks or at most months.
Soldiers have sealed access to parliament, government offices and courts in the capital, residents said. Access to the president’s official residence was also blocked by troops. But Harare appeared calm.
There was no sign of any resistance to the takeover or to the arrest of a series of senior officials associated with Grace Mugabe and her G40 faction. The youth wing of the ruling Zanu-PF, which had made defiant statements directed at the military earlier in the week, appeared to condone the military action.
Mnangagwa, a former spy chief, has strong support among many in Zimbabwe’s armed forces, and it is unclear who might oppose him in coming days.
In contrast, Grace Mugabe is deeply unpopular and has few allies internally or, crucially, regionally.
Read more: Mugabe family in detention after military takes control of Zimbabwe | World news | The Guardian
2/11/14
Africa - Zimbabwe: West's Holier-Than-Thou Attitude Just Hot Air - by Benny Tsododo
Last week, the world woke up to some unprecedented news from the
European Union with Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem saying
her commission had produced a damning report on corruption in Europe.
Though the report is yet to be presented in full, she highlighted that there was "breathtaking" corruption in Europe.
Malmstroem underscored that this was the first time the Commission had produced such a report. She revealingly mentioned that corruption is costing European countries as much as US$160 billion each year.
We, from the vilified part of the world, could hardly believe this. How can these "democracies" be blighted by corruption, a vice supposedly indigenous to the poor developing nations?
Nevertheless, the coincidence of these revelations with growing reports of corruption in Zimbabwe had a didactic purpose. The staggering figure of money lost to Europe due to corruption is enough to shoulder the budgetary needs of 40 small economies like Zimbabwe that require a mere US$4 billion to pass each year.
Such is the damaging nature of corruption. Figuratively, corruption in the EU is destroying the economies of 40 nations each year. This is shocking considering the fact that efforts to secure US$4 billion to run Zimbabwe's economy are not yielding much.
Malmstroem said corruption erodes public trust and undermines the strength of economies. "We hope that this (report) will start a political process and will spur the political will and the necessary commitment at all levels to address corruption more effectively across Europe," she said.
Read more: allAfrica.com: Zimbabwe: West's Holier-Than-Thou Attitude Just Hot Air (Page 1 of 2)
Though the report is yet to be presented in full, she highlighted that there was "breathtaking" corruption in Europe.
Malmstroem underscored that this was the first time the Commission had produced such a report. She revealingly mentioned that corruption is costing European countries as much as US$160 billion each year.
We, from the vilified part of the world, could hardly believe this. How can these "democracies" be blighted by corruption, a vice supposedly indigenous to the poor developing nations?
Nevertheless, the coincidence of these revelations with growing reports of corruption in Zimbabwe had a didactic purpose. The staggering figure of money lost to Europe due to corruption is enough to shoulder the budgetary needs of 40 small economies like Zimbabwe that require a mere US$4 billion to pass each year.
Such is the damaging nature of corruption. Figuratively, corruption in the EU is destroying the economies of 40 nations each year. This is shocking considering the fact that efforts to secure US$4 billion to run Zimbabwe's economy are not yielding much.
Malmstroem said corruption erodes public trust and undermines the strength of economies. "We hope that this (report) will start a political process and will spur the political will and the necessary commitment at all levels to address corruption more effectively across Europe," she said.
Read more: allAfrica.com: Zimbabwe: West's Holier-Than-Thou Attitude Just Hot Air (Page 1 of 2)
8/3/13
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe reelected; opponents and the EU cry foul - by Robyn Dixon
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who at 89 has ruled the country for 33 years, was reelected president in an election declared a "farce" by rival Morgan Tsvangirai.
Zimbabwe's electoral commission announced Saturday that Mugabe received 61% of the vote, compared with 34% for Tsvangirai, the current prime minister and leader of the Movement for Democratic Change.
The vote has been condemned as seriously compromised by the largest local observer group, the Zimbabwe Electoral Support Network. African observers have commended the election for being peaceful — in contrast with past violent elections — while expressing mild concern about voting irregularities.
The European Union on Saturday raised doubts, citing voting irregularities and a lack of transparency.
"The EU is concerned about alleged irregularities and reports of incomplete participation, as well as the identified weaknesses in the electoral process and a lack of transparency. The EU will continue to follow developments and work closely with its international partners in the weeks to come," said EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in a statement.
Read more: Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe reelected; opponents cry foul - latimes.com
Zimbabwe's electoral commission announced Saturday that Mugabe received 61% of the vote, compared with 34% for Tsvangirai, the current prime minister and leader of the Movement for Democratic Change.
The vote has been condemned as seriously compromised by the largest local observer group, the Zimbabwe Electoral Support Network. African observers have commended the election for being peaceful — in contrast with past violent elections — while expressing mild concern about voting irregularities.
The European Union on Saturday raised doubts, citing voting irregularities and a lack of transparency.
"The EU is concerned about alleged irregularities and reports of incomplete participation, as well as the identified weaknesses in the electoral process and a lack of transparency. The EU will continue to follow developments and work closely with its international partners in the weeks to come," said EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in a statement.
Read more: Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe reelected; opponents cry foul - latimes.com
4/11/11
Zimbabwe: Robert Mugabe deeply involved on the side of Gaddafi in Libyan to combat popular uprising
ZimbabweIt is no secret that another dictator, President Robert Mugabe, has sent troops to Libya to defend Colonel Gadaffi, his long-standing ally and financier. Several hundred mercenaries including serving and retired Zimbabwean soldiers, and a handful of air force pilots recently flew from Harare to Libya on a chartered flight joining Gadaffi’s increasingly desperate battle to stay in power.
Zimbabwean state intelligence sources have stated some of the troops were from the commando regiment; others were from the Fifth Brigade that was once trained by North Korea and is infamous for crushing a rebellion in Matabeleland in the early 1980s in which 20,000 civilians were killed.
The Zimbabweans have joined other African mercenaries from the Ivory Coast, Chad and Mauritania, who are now fighting on behalf of Gadaffi in Tripoli against the popular uprising that has seized the east of the country.
EU-Digest
Zimbabwean state intelligence sources have stated some of the troops were from the commando regiment; others were from the Fifth Brigade that was once trained by North Korea and is infamous for crushing a rebellion in Matabeleland in the early 1980s in which 20,000 civilians were killed.
The Zimbabweans have joined other African mercenaries from the Ivory Coast, Chad and Mauritania, who are now fighting on behalf of Gadaffi in Tripoli against the popular uprising that has seized the east of the country.
EU-Digest
10/6/08
IC Publications: EU sanctions on Zimbabwe will stay until govt formed
for the complete report from the IC Publications click on this link
EU sanctions on Zimbabwe will stay until govt formed
European Union sanctions on Zimbabwe will remain until rival parties there break an impasse and form a government, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Monday. In a written answer to parliament, Miliband said that positive momentum built up when President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai agreed to a power-sharing deal was "fast evaporating." The deal was signed in Harare on September 15, but Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party and Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change have been deadlocked since then, and a failure to reach an accord on the cabinet has delayed the formation of a unity government.
"Until a new Zimbabwean government are appointed and that government show by their action their commitment to reform, EU targeted measures will remain in place," Miliband said. The British minister added that though humanitarian assistance would continue, "it is not the long-term solution in Zimbabwe." He said that he would discuss the situation in Zimbabwe with his EU counterparts on October 13.
6/23/08
AP: Morgan Tsvangirai Zimbabwe opposition leader seeks refuge with Dutch - by Angus Shaw
The Associated Press: Zimbabwe opposition leader seeks refuge with Dutch
Zimbabwe's opposition leader has fled to the Dutch Embassy saying he
feared for his safety, while police on Monday raided his party's
headquarters and took about 60 people away. Morgan Tsvangirai
went to the embassy Sunday shortly after announcing he was withdrawing
from Friday's presidential runoff against longtime leader Robert
Mugabe, citing violence against opposition supporters, a Dutch Foreign
Ministry spokesman said.
Tsvangirai won the first round of the presidential election on March
29, but did not gain an outright majority against 84-year-old Mugabe.
That campaign was generally peaceful, but the runoff has been
overshadowed by violence and intimidation, especially in rural areas.
Independent human rights groups say 85 people have died and tens of
thousands have been displaced from their homes, most of them opposition
supporters.
feared for his safety, while police on Monday raided his party's
headquarters and took about 60 people away. Morgan Tsvangirai
went to the embassy Sunday shortly after announcing he was withdrawing
from Friday's presidential runoff against longtime leader Robert
Mugabe, citing violence against opposition supporters, a Dutch Foreign
Ministry spokesman said.
Tsvangirai won the first round of the presidential election on March
29, but did not gain an outright majority against 84-year-old Mugabe.
That campaign was generally peaceful, but the runoff has been
overshadowed by violence and intimidation, especially in rural areas.
Independent human rights groups say 85 people have died and tens of
thousands have been displaced from their homes, most of them opposition
supporters.
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