Looting Zimbabwean soldiers set for court martial
Inflation in Zimbabwe is causing currency to lose all meaningful value
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Sunday, 07, Dec 2008 07:33
Sixteen soldiers who looted shops and fought the police during violent protests over cash shortages and worsening poverty in Zimbabwe this week will appear before a court martial on Monday.
The 16 soldiers were arrested after staging an unprecedented strike action on Monday over the long running economic crisis in the country, marked by an over 90 per cent unemployment rate and 231 million per cent inflation.
"We are still investigating the case but we expect the soldiers to appear before the court martial on Monday once investigations are completed," the chief police spokesperson, senior assistant commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena, said.
The protest by the soldiers caused alarm to the government that has relied on the army to ensure president Robert Mugabe's near 28-year hold on power.
Mugabe has exercised an iron grip on the army that is known to violently put down any protest over the 84-year-old leader's rule to keep dissent in check.
Defence minister Cde Sydney Sekeramayi deplored the acts of violence, describing them as reprehensible and criminal, adding that armed military police had been deployed in the streets to prevent anarchy.
The strike action came in the face of an economic meltdown, gripping hunger seen by villagers eating toxic wild fruits and a cholera epidemic that has since killed over 570 Zimbabweans.
Analysts say this is a clear characteristic of the state of collapse of Zimbabwe, once regarded as boasting a model African economy, health, education, water and sewer system.
International pressure mounted on Mr Mugabe this week to cede power in the face of the worsening crisis, with United States secretary of state Condoleezza Rice on Friday saying that "it is well past time" for Mugabe to leave office.
"It's well past time for Robert Mugabe to leave, that's now obvious. It is time for the international nations to push Mr Mugabe out," she added.
"We are seeing not only the political and economic toll that is being taken on the people of Zimbabwe but the toll in the humanitarian dimension as the cholera epidemic has broken out."
David Milliband, the United Kingdom foreign secretary, said the world was horrified by the humanitarian, political, health and economic crisis besetting Zimbabwe.
Mr Miliband said: "Around the world people are watching with horror the worsening situation in Zimbabwe.
"World leaders are debating what can be done to alleviate suffering in the face of a Government seemingly so determined to bring misery on its own people.
"The deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe is a further illustration of the misrule of Zimbabwe's rogue government.
"The economy is in free-fall. Education and health systems have failed. Public infrastructure is in terminal decline and the government is unwilling and unable to look after its own people."
However, the Zanu-PF led government remained defiant in the face of international criticism of Mr Mugabe's rule, saying such criticism was unwarranted.