With just a week to go until the crucial run off election on June 27, Robert Mugabe, whose violent bid to remain in power has left more than 80 people dead, now finds himself with few remaining allies.| But they'll come flocking back if he stays in power. |
In a significant move, Kenya's Prime Minister Raila Odinga called on the international community to demand that Mugabe step down from power, calling the run off vote a "sham". He said there was no chance of a free and fair election and cited the ongoing beatings, arrests and the repeated detention of MDC members.
Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua also condemned Mugabe for disregarding the rule of the law and blasted him for his brutal treatment of the opposition and his critics. He said that what is happening in Zimbabwe "is not in conformity with the rule of the law. I do not subscribe to this."
Rwandan President Paul Kagame joined these former allies and heaped scorn on Mugabe for vowing not to surrender power if beaten. In a news conference in Kigali, Kagame blamed the failure by African leaders to address the problems in Zimbabwe and added: "The whole thing is a joke. I am saying this because of what is obviously a serious problem in Zimbabwe."
In the strongest regional condemnation yet of pre-poll violence perpetrated by the regime, the Tanzanian Foreign Minister Bernard Membe also came forward and severed ties with Mugabe, saying the run off is unlikely to be free or fair. This comment came after observer teams witnessed the cold bloodied murder of two MDC activists. He said: "Of course, it scared most of these observers to the extent that they had to pose the question of why are we here then, and what are we doing?" Membe further said that President Jakaya Kikwete was not supporting some tactics used by the Zimbabwe government, despite good historical ties between the two countries. He said: "Tanzania and Zimbabwe have historical good relations, we supported them when implementing land reforms but we are saddened by the current events in the country ... and do not support it".
Botswana's new president Ian Seretse Khama has also been critical of the Mugabe regime. Khama recently summoned the Zimbabwean Ambassador in Gaborone to protest the mounting violence and the arrests of opposition leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and Tendai Biti.
The condemnation has finally reached global proportions, with world leaders joining together to add their scorn to the growing number of anti - Mugabe protestors. UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the Zimbabwean government is a "cabal of criminals" that threatened to make of mockery of the run off poll. He also declared that Mugabe should not be allowed to steal the election.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has also expressed his "profound alarm" at the situation and said "Should these conditions continue to prevail, the legitimacy of the election outcomes would be in question". At the same time, US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice said: "It is time for the leaders of Africa to say to President Mugabe that the people of Zimbabwe deserve a free and fair election, that you cannot intimidate opponents, you cannot put opponents in jail".