Future of Zimbabwe 'on a knife-edge'
Failure to form Zimbabwean unity government has left future of its people "on a knife-edge", Amnesty International warns
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Friday, 31, Oct 2008 10:42
Failure to form a unity government in Zimbabwe has left its people in desperate need of relief from hunger and human rights violations, it has been claimed.
In mid-September the country's disparate political parties signed a power-sharing agreement to end months of internal turmoil.
Since then, wrangling over the allocation of key ministries between president Robert Mugabe and prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai have left the agreement in doubt.
Amnesty International UK said every day that passed without a political solution made the situation for Zimbabweans "more and more desperate".
The organisation's Zimbabwe researcher, Simeon Mawanza, who is presenting a new report on the situation in the country, said human rights had to be at the centre of the negotiation process.
"Discussions should be about providing justice and relief to people – not just politics," he said from Johannesburg, South Africa.
"The Zimbabwean people are now living on a knife-edge and cannot afford to wait for the political bickering to end.
"While the parties continue to negotiate on political details, the most vulnerable Zimbabweans are at further risk of extreme hunger. Many Zimbabweans are now only surviving by eating wild fruit."
Zimbabwe's political crisis unfolded earlier this year following a disputed first presidential contest in March between Mr Mugabe, who has led the country since 1980, and opposition leader Mr Tsvangirai.
Despite winning the popular vote Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Mr Tsvangirai was denied an outright victory, leading to a second poll in June.
But the MDC leader was forced to withdraw amid escalating political violence, the perpetrators of which today faced renewed calls to be prosecuted.
"Since 2000, the Zanu-PF government has ignored evidence of human rights violations, thereby exempting perpetrators from any form of accountability – and allowing them to believe they can continue with their actions. Breaking this cycle of violations must be a top priority for the new government once it is in place," Mr Mawanza said.
"Victims have a right to compensation, to know the truth, and to derive satisfaction from seeing the perpetrators being brought to justice. Such a remedy will send a message that the new Zimbabwe will no longer settle for political differences being 'resolved' through beatings or torture."
Thousands of people suffered at the hands of Zanu-PF supporters in the build-up to the June poll, Amnesty International said.
Especially damaging for the country's future prospects was the slaughter of livestock and the plundering of food reserves belonging to up to 10,000 farmers.
Observers have already warned that Zimbabwe, which suffers from the world's highest rate of inflation and widespread unemployment, is on the brink of starvation.
Amnesty International warns the food situation is likely to get worse before it improves.
"If we think the food situation in Zimbabwe is bad now, just wait until the end of this year, when half of the population is likely to need aid," said Mr Mawanza.
Amnesty International is calling on Zanu-PF and the MDC to put ending impunity and resolving human rights abuse at the heart of power-sharing talks.
The group also wants the international community, especially regional leaders, to support such efforts and apply pressure where necessary.
"The setting up of an inclusive government is a great opportunity to tackle Zimbabwe's long-standing legacy of impunity for human rights violations and build a new culture of human rights respect," Mr Mawanza added.