MDC calls for urgent deployment of SADC observers
By Tichaona Sibanda
10 June 2008

The MDC said on Tuesday it was perplexed by the absence of SADC observers on the ground, with just 17 days to go before the crucial presidential run-off on 27th June.
Despite the SADC bloc promising to send up to 400 observers, only about 50 have so far arrived in the country.

Botswana became the first country from SADC to send observers, when 25 jetted in on Saturday. Another 25 will fly in on Wednesday. This other group is from the SADC secretariat. There were 162 SADC observers during the March 29 elections.

A SADC Heads of State Summit held in April in Lusaka, following the disputed March elections, agreed that the number of observers would need to be increased for the run-off. The MDC Secretary for International Affairs, Professor Elphas Mukonoweshuro, said they had hoped that a heavy presence would deter Zanu-PF from it’s crackdown on MDC activists.

SADC has now blamed financial constraints for the delay in sending observers, but the United States announced on Monday it had availed US$7 million dollars, to help ensure they travelled to Zimbabwe for the elections.

US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters in Washington that the money was ‘not only to ensure that there are proper, sufficient numbers from countries that are going to supply the observers, but that they have the resources to do their job on the ground.’

Last week South African President Thabo Mbeki, the region’s chief mediator on Zimbabwe, said in a television interview that SADC was increasing the number of observers ‘so that they can cover all parts of Zimbabwe’ adding that ‘they need to go in as early as possible.’ That statement was made with less than a month to go to the runoff, so President Mbeki’s understanding of what is ‘early’ is not necessarily the same as that of the victims of violence.

The intensity of the state sponsored violence has increased on a daily basis and Mukonoweshuro said that since the March elections at least 60 MDC supporters have been killed and over 50 000 displaced, in retributive attacks by ruling party militias.

The MDC MP elect for Gutu South said Tsvangirai, who claimed he won the presidential election in March, agreed to participate in the run off on condition that regional and international observers were allowed in early and without restrictions.

‘Everyone is agreeing observers should come in early, we are having a crucial election that could decide the destiny of the country and yet there is no evidence of any electoral observers anyway in the country. Perhaps they’re observing from the comfort of their hotel rooms,’ he said.

Mukonoweshuro went on; ‘I don’t want to be harsh, but one can conclude perhaps they are waiting for more blood to be shed before they begin to take note.’