- State leaders of Southern Africa are to meet at "an emergency summit" in Tanzania on Thursday to discuss the situation in Zimbabwe. Most leaders of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), including Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, have already confirmed their participation.
SADC leaders have faced increasing local and international criticism for not speaking clearly out against the increased level of human rights violations in Zimbabwe, following police violence and the torture of a large number of opposition leaders and civil society activists. A recent SADC meeting in Lesotho failed to address the Zimbabwean crisis altogether.
Since then, however, individual state leaders from the region have started condemning the Mugabe regime in stronger or smoother terms. Zambia's President Levy Mwanawasa went furthest, comparing Zimbabwe to the sinking 'Titanic', while South Africa's Foreign Ministry warned of a coming "meltdown" in Zimbabwe. Vaguer protests have been issued by the governments of Mauritius, Mozambique and Tanzania - all SADC members.
A stronger a more coordinated regional approach is now being prepared for. SADC spokeswoman Dineo Motsepe today said the regional body was "cognisant of the political and security developments currently taking place in the region," and therefore had decided on holding "an emergency summit" of SADC state leaders in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.
"The emergency summit will focus its attention on the prevailing political and security situation in the SADC region," Ms Motsepe added, without specifically mentioning the name Zimbabwe. The two-day summit however almost exclusively is to treat the political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe, which now is affecting the entire region, several government spokesmen have assured.
The summit has been initiated by SADC's organ on security and defence, which is headed by a troika consisting of Namibia, Angola and Tanzania. In particular Namibia and Tanzania have grown more sceptical towards the Mugabe regime lately, while the Zimbabwean President still finds support in Angola. Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete and Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba both will attend the summit.
The Harare government today also announced that President Mugabe would attend the summit, where he will give his version of the current crisis. Mr Mugabe was said to be planning to focus on the opposition's alleged use of violence, trying to overthrow him. He also will appeal for African unity against Western "imperialism", which he still sees as the driving force behind the growing opposition to his regime.
While the 83-year old Zimbabwean leader probably will be able to fence off the most offensive criticism against his regime in written statements by his SADC colleagues, behind closed doors he will most likely face heavy protests. Already seen as a regional "emergency", Mr Mugabe will be urged to start negotiation with the opposition and forget his plans of sticking to power after his presidential term ends next year.
Zimbabwe's neighbours already are noting the adverse effects of the country's meltdown. Millions of Zimbabweans have already fled the political oppression and the economic ruin, mounting a high economic pressure on societies in neighbouring Botswana, Zambia and especially South Africa. More violence also puts regional security at risk, SADC leaders fear.
At home, most SADC leaders face widespread popular opposition to the "quiet diplomacy" approach against the Mugabe regime, which has proven a failure. In particular in South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi and Mauritius - which all send their heads of state to the summit despite pressing affairs at home - the opposition and civil society are pressing for a harder stance.
Meanwhile, most SADC leaders silently hope President Mugabe will turn up at the summit as a weakened leader. One day before the summit, he has to face a critical committee of his ruling ZANU-PF party, which is to decide on whether Mr Mugabe's presidential term can be prolonged until 2010, or whether he should seek ZANU-PF nomination for the scheduled 2008 elections.
With a growing number of party veterans wishing to oust Mr Mugabe already in 2008, he may well be set to face humiliation at tomorrow's party meeting. Also in ZANU-PF, impatience with President Mugabe is mounting.
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