SADC states expected to pressure African Union on Zimbabwe

By Tererai Karimakwenda
29 January 2007

For two years now the African Union has ignored a report by its own African Commission on Human and People’s Rights which said heads of state should deal with human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. Robert Mugabe travelled to Ethiopia Sunday to attend the 8th AU summit which started Monday and the AU leaders gathered there will discuss solutions to conflict areas like Somalia, Darfur and Guinea. This time they might just put Zimbabwe on the agenda.
Tapera Kapuya of The National Constitutional Assembly said there is now a shift of opinion, especially in SADC states feeling the negative effects of the Zimbabwe crisis. Kapuya said: “There’s actually been a lot of shift in terms of opinion on Zimbabwe and I think the crisis there is now generally understood. I’m not quite sure about Central and Northern Africa though.” Kapuya explained that the Zimbabwe situation had become problematic for South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique and some other SADC states which are experiencing the spillage into their territories.
Kapuya added: “Thorough investigations were done by the A.U. itself and its credibility will be judged on the basis of whether they are going to take it seriously and follow-up on the recommendations of their own commission.”
Kapuya and the NCA are among several Zimbabwean civic groups which are also in Ethiopia to push for a resolution on the continuing crisis back home. He said: “We are working through civic society networks from other countries which have access to their own governments.” Kapuya added that the NCA is not even trying to get these groups to present information from local Zimbabwean interests, but to simply pay attention to what their own commissioners witnessed when they went to Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile several groups have announced they plan to demonstrate outside French embassies across Europe in order to block any members of the Mugabe regime from attending an international summit due in France next month. Among them are Union members, Zimbabwean exiles and human rights activists who say they want the French government to enforce the European Union’s “targeted sanctions” which ban government officials and Mugabe’s family from travelling outside the country. The groups also want the French government to agree to turn away any member of the Zimbabwean government who arrives at the conference.

Amicus' General Secretary Derek Simpson, is quoted saying: "We need to send a clear and consistent message to the leaders of the Zimbabwe's brutal regime: you are not welcome." The travel ban on Mugabe and his cronies was introduced by the EU in 2002.