Africa, Headlines, Human Rights, North America

POLITICS: Long-standing U.S. Allies Break With Mugabe

Jim Lobe

WASHINGTON, Jun 4 2003 (IPS) - Nine leading progressive African-American figures and groups that have long defended Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe have urged him to cease his repression of the opposition and enter into "unconditional dialogue" with the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and representatives of civil society as part of a transition to "a more broadly supported government”.

In a letter sent to Mugabe on Tuesday, the signatories, who included the leaders of Africa Action and TransAfrica Forum, described the current crackdown against the opposition as a "complete contradiction of the values and principles that were both the foundation of your liberation struggle and of our solidarity with that struggle”.

They also called for diplomatic intervention of other African leaders and institutions, particularly South Africa, Nigeria, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the African Union (AU) to help mediate between the parties in Zimbabwe to achieve a peaceful solution and establish a more representative government.

"The non-violent civil disobedience that is growing in your country … is increasingly met with police brutality and excessive force,” the letter said. "Such trends in the abuse of human rights are not only unacceptable, they are threats to your country’s stability and they are undermining the economic and political development your people desire and deserve.”

"We believe that a peaceful solution is possible for Zimbabwe if you find a way to work with others in and outside of your government to create an effective process for a transition to a more broadly supported government upholding the democratic rights of all,” it concluded.

The letter is especially significant because its signers are prominent veterans of the anti-apartheid movement who have championed liberation struggles in the rest of southern Africa, including Zimbabwe, and generally opposed U.S. and western political and economic pressure on the region’s governments and leaders.

The administrations of U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair have led calls for a transition to a new government in Zimbabwe since last year’s controversial elections in which Mugabe’s Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) retained control despite a strong showing by the opposition MDC.

In addition to Salih Booker and Bill Fletcher, Jr, directors of Africa Action and TransAfrica, respectively, signers included William Lucy, president of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) and a number of other top black union officers; Horace Dawson, Jr, director of the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center at Howard University; Rev. Justice Y. Reeves of the Progressive National Baptist Convention; and the membership of the coordinating committee of the Black Radical Congress.

All of them have met over recent months with key Zimbabwean officials and representatives of civil society both here and in Zimbabwe, but they decided that their private appeals had not had the desired effect.

"We have a responsibility to our brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe to state clearly where we stand,” said Booker of Africa Action, a group created two years ago as a result of a merger of three grassroots anti-apartheid organisations. "We stand for human rights and against the repression of the Mugabe regime directed against Zimbabwe’s African majority.”

Since last year’s elections, Zimbabwe has suffered political instability and economic collapse, in part due to a prolonged drought and a chaotic and controversial land-reform programme that has greatly reduced production, both for domestic needs and for export. Inflation is now running over 200 percent, and about eight million people depend on food aid for their subsistence.

The opposition MDC, led by ex-trade unionist Morgan Tsvangirai, has been calling for more than year for a dialogue with Mugabe, who has been Zimbabwe’s president since independence in 1980. But despite steadily growing pressure, including diplomatic sanctions, from the U.S. and other western countries and some gentler nudging by South Africa, Nigeria, and other regional countries, Mugabe has held firm and tried to rally his own supporters, in part by calling the opposition "stooges" of white farmers – whose land has been expropriated – and of western interests.

The MDC called for a general strike against the government for this week, and Mugabe responded with major shows of force by the army, police and his party militia, called the Green Bombers. Wednesday was the third day in a row in which all but a handful of businesses and offices were closed, as most people appear to have decided to stay home.

"By the end of this week, Zimbabweans will have driven a message home to Mugabe that they are fed up with the state of affairs in this country,” said Tsvangirai, who was briefly arrested early Monday before being released. Other MDC leaders have been held for longer periods.

Washington has used this week’s strikes to step up pressure on Mugabe’s neighbours to intervene more forcefully. The State Department on Monday ”condemn(ed)” what it called the ”government’s heavy-handed intimidation and suppression … of opposition efforts to organise peaceful protests and a work stay-away”. It also said it was ”very concerned about reports of mistreatment of … leaders of the (MDC), including several members of parliament.”

”We call on the government of Zimbabwe to respect peaceful protest, to reverse its disastrous economic policies and to restore the rule of law,” a State Department spokesperson said. ”It is important that Zimbabwe’s African neighbours take a strong stand now to defend human rights and political reform in Zimbabwe. Without a more forthright role by African states, positive political change and economic recovery in Zimbabwe will be difficult.”

TransAfrica’s Fletcher said in an interview that the letter’s signers were acting now both because the situation on the ground is deteriorating and because of concern that the United States and Britain may be preparing covert action against the government as part of a policy of ”regime change”, which, he said, would be ”disastrous”.

”Many of us have been in the past strong supporters of President Mugabe, and even when we were disappointed with some of his decisions regarding the economy or politics, we remained supportive,” he said. ”But the time has come to say that we can no longer remain silent and that a change needs to happen. But the change needs to be African-directed, as opposed to directed by outsiders, such as the U.S. and Britain.”

The letter will add to Mugabe’s troubles, according to diplomatic sources here, who noted that he has often referred to his support in the U.S. African American community to bolster his position at home. ”This isolates him even more,” said one source who requested anonymity. ”He’s on his last legs”.