Citing rampant violence, Tsvangirai drops out of Zimbabwe election; Somalian refugees ‘at the mercy of elements’; International court will arbitrate north-south issues in Sudan to avoid civil war

                                    

By Ted Townsend
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

HARARE, Zimbabwe  –  A mere five days before the scheduled presidential  run-off election, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai dropped out of the race, saying that he was unwilling to ask voters to “risk their life” by going to the polls. As a result Robert Mugabe will likely retain the presidency, a position he has held since 1980. Tsvangirai cited violent attacks, election rigging and constant arrests, orchestrated by Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party, among the reasons for his decision, saying that he would not “play the game of Mugabe.”

In recent weeks, African leaders became more vocal in asserting their belief that it would be impossible for Zimbabwe to have a “free and fair” election. According to reports, rampant state sponsored violence has left 86 people dead, and thousands injured. In a statement, Tsvangirai thanked Zimbabwean’s for their courage, adding that he believed he and his Movement for Democratic Change party had done everything in their power to “humanely and democratically deliver a new Zimbabwe and a new government.” However, he believed the party could not reasonably ask voters to cast their vote when it could mean their life, adding that they would “no longer participate in this violent, illegal sham of an election.”

A Mugabe official, however, cited Tsvangirai’s fear of “humiliating defeat” as the driving force behind the decision.

For more information, please see:

International Herald Tribune – Citing violence, Zimbabwe opposition leader quits race – 22 June 2008

CNN – Official: Mugabe wins re-election after opposition pulls out – 22 June 2008

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MOGADISHU, Somalia – A mother and her two children were among the twenty-five people injured and thirteen killed during fierce fighting in Mogadishu. Eyewitnesses say that the families house was hit by a mortar shell, fired by Ethiopian troops in response to an attack by Islamic extremists.  Hospital workers treated at least another eighteen wounded, including six children. A local resident described the scene following the attacks as “horrific,” adding that people had to “collect the flesh of their bodies which was stuck to the walls.” 

In a separate incident, a land mine aimed at a government convoy was remotely detonated this weekend, killing three government troops and wounding four others.

The constant violence in Mogadishu has led many civilians to flee the capital, seeking refuge in the northern outskirts of the city. In the past two weeks, at least nine of these refugees have died, including a pregnant woman. The deaths were caused by exposure to the elements and lack of food.  Recent heavy rains washed away a number of the refugees makeshift shelters, forcing the refugees to “live out in the open, with no shelter at all.” Adding to the plight of the refugees is an inadequate food supply, with many subsisting solely on rations provided by the UN World Food Programme.

For more information, please see:

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – Northern Mogadishu IDP’s at the mercy of the elements – 20 June 2008

allAfrica.com – Explosion in Mogadishu Claims Three Soldiers – 22 June 2008

BBC News –Family killed in Somali clashes– 20 June 2008

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JUBA, Sudan – Officials from both the northern and southern parts of Sudan agreed that an International Court in The Hague would resolve a long-standing border dispute that threatens to send the country into civil war. The dispute centers over the oil rich Abyei area, a long disputed region which both sides claim as its own. A local dispute last month turned into full fledged fighting, leaving ninety people dead and forcing over fifty thousand from their homes.

As part of the agreement, the Permanent Court of Arbitration will decide the fate of the region. Leaders from each side will be given the opportunity to pick two arbitrators each form a list provided by a panel. The four will then select the fifth member of the panel.

The two parties also announced that a long awaited electoral law will be agreed upon which will push through Sudan’s first democratic election in twenty-three years.

More than two million died in the ongoing north-south conflict, which is separate from the violence that has ravaged the Darfur region. In 2005 a peace deal was signed, that is now threatened by the recent border dispute. It has consisted of fighting over ethnicity, ideology and religion, with an increasing amount of the fighting centering around oil issues in recent years.

For further information, please see:

BBC News – Court to rule on Sudan border row – 22 June 2008

International Herald Tribune – Hague Court to decide Sudan’s disputed border – 8 June 2008