Three regional leaders who form the SADC Troika will meet with Zimbabwe’s feuding political leaders in Maputo, Mozambique on Thursday, to try to unlock the deadlock that threatens the unity government.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s spokesman, James Maridadi, confirmed that the MDC-T will send a delegation headed by Tsvangirai to the crisis summit. Mozambique currently heads the Troika organ on Security, Defence and Politics.

Mozambique President Armando Guebuza, Swaziland’s King Mswati and Zambia’s Rupiah Banda will meet with Tsvangirai, Robert Mugabe and Arthur Mutambara in Maputo, to tackle the current standoff which was triggered when the MDC ‘disengaged’ from ZANU PF more than two weeks ago.

The MDC partially withdrew from the government, accusing ZANU PF of being an ‘unreliable and dishonest’ coalition partner. The MDC has since boycotted cabinet meetings, charging that Mugabe is refusing to honour the undertakings in the unity agreement between the three parties, on democratic reforms.

A ministerial delegation representing the Troika was sent to Harare last week where it recommended the convening of an urgent Summit. The delegation is believed to have made it clear the impasse can only be solved by implementing fully the Global Political Agreement.

SADC chairman Joseph Kabila, the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, flew to Harare on Sunday to mediate in the crisis. His arrival and rapid convening of the summit on Thursday is seen by analysts as a sign that neighbouring countries cannot afford to ignore the crisis as it escalates. With South Africa hosting the football World Cup next year that country will certainly be reluctant to have any major problems on it’s doorstep.

There are reports that SADC, which is the guarantor of the GPA, has been studying documents leading to the formation of unity government and has agree that ZANU PF’s reluctance to fully implement the GPA is at the core of the current crisis.

But SADC has been notorious for their support of Mugabe and the ‘quiet’ approach to Zimbabwe’s problems. Additionally, the role of mediator for Joseph Kabila has been criticised by observers, as it is well known that Kabila is a key ally of Mugabe. He is also president of a country that is known for its lack of human rights. On Monday the United Nations withdrew its support for a DRC army unit, accused of targeting and killing 62 civilians. Last month a UN investigator said the DRC army had massacred refugees and gang raped women at Shalio camp in North Kivu.