Mugabe Wins Unopposed Election After Tsvangirai Withdraws; ICC Charges for DR Congo Warlords

By M. Brandon Maggiore
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Africa

President Robert Mugabe went into Friday’s election as the sole candidate after Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew from the election. Tsvangirai withdrew due to pre-election violence and intimidation of Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) supporters. 

President Mugabe won the presidential election on Friday and was sworn in as president two days later.

The Southern African Development Community said "The elections did not represent the will of the people of Zimbabwe.” 

The international community is increasingly being called upon to take action, including pressure to not recognize Mugabe as the winner of the election.

An observer from the Pan-African Parliament has called for new elections. Desmond Tutu, the former Archbishop of Cape Town, has called on the UN to take military action and for the African Union not to recognize Mugabe as the victor in the election, and the United States has said it will not recognize the results of the election.

Mugabe has said that he is committed to talks with the opposition MDC and Morgan Tsvangirai said any such talks should be based on the first round in the presidential election where Tsvangirai led over Mugabe 47.9% to 43.2%.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions issued a statement urging African countries to not recognize Mugabe as the President of Zimbabwe and to deny him attendance at African Union meetings.

There are reports of violence in rural areas against people accused of not voting, spoiling their ballot, or voting for Tsvangirai. 

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Observers Denounce Zimbabwe Vote – 29 June 2008

SW Radio Africa – Cosatu Urges Africa not to Recognize Mugabe ‘win’ – 29 June 2008

SW Radio Africa – Zimbabwe: Retribution in Some Rural Areas As Mugabe Prepares for Another Term – 29 June 2008

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The HAGUE, Netherlands – Two Congolese military officers have been charged by the ICC with war crimes. Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui are charged with planning and ordering attacks that allegedly left over 200 people killed.

It is reported that many women were forced to be sex slaves and many victims were burned alive.

Charges against Katanga and Ngudjolo include sexual slavery, rape, murder, inhumane acts, and recruiting child soldiers. Katanga was the head of the Patriotic Forces of Resistance of Ituri and Ngudjolo was the leader of the Front of Nationalist and Integrationists militia.

For more information, please see: 

BBC News – ICC charges DR Congo 'warlords' – 27 June 2008

International Criminal Court -- Opening of the Confirmation Hearing Against Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui – 27 June 2008