African Leaders Turn Against Zimbabwe’s President

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The New York Sun

HARARE, Zimbabwe — President Mugabe of Zimbabwe sank deeper into isolation yesterday as African leaders turned against him. They called on President Mbeki of South Africa, his most important protector, to do the same.

President Wade of Senegal and Jacob Zuma, the leader of South Africa’s ruling ANC party, called for the presidential election on Friday to be postponed following the withdrawal of Morgan Tsvangirai, Mr. Mugabe’s rival.

The calls came in the wake of a U.N. Security Council statement condemning the violence in Zimbabwe, where scores of people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced.

Mr. Zuma said: “The ANC says the run-off is no longer a solution, you need a political arrangement first … then elections down the line.” His party issued a stinging denunciation of “violence, intimidation, and outright terror.”

South Africa has been seeking to mediate between Mr. Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change and Mr. Mugabe’s Zanu-PF.

Mr. Mbeki, the appointed mediator of the regional Southern African Development Community, now faces pressure to turn his back on Mr. Mugabe.

Zambia, Tanzania, Botswana, and Angola — the latter long one of Mr. Mugabe’s most reliable allies — have all condemned the Zimbabwean leader. This has left Mr. Mbeki relying on South Africa’s “client states” — Namibia, Lesotho, and Swaziland — for support.

“They have finally realized, rather too late, but better late than never, that this is a regional crisis of accelerating proportions and they are in the line of fire,” the diplomat said. “For years they have denied it or ignored it, led by South Africa.

“It’s still possible that even Mbeki, one of the most stubborn of men, might begin to wonder, ‘Is there a way out of this?'” But Mr. Mbeki’s spokesman, Mukoni Ratshitanga, brushed off the criticism, saying: “We are continuing to talk to the Zimbabweans to find a solution to their challenge.”

Southern African leaders will meet today in Swaziland for an emergency summit over the political crisis, Tanzania announced.


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