Zimbabwe’s Tsvangirai quits run-off

Head of Movement for Democratic Change cites violence against supporters as main reason for boycott.

Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe’s opposition leader, has announced that he will not take part in the run-off presidential election against Robert Mugabe, the country’s long-standing president.

Tsvangirai said on Sunday that Mugabe has “declared war by saying that the bullet has replaced the ballot”, and so his party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), will not be a part of the June 27 vote.

Citing violence against his supporters as a major reason for the withdrawal, Tsvangirai called on the United Nations and the African Union to intervene to stop “genocide” in Zimbabwe.

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South Africa: Grant Temporary Status to All Zimbabweans

Because of South Africa’s dysfunctional asylum system, many asylum seekers’ claims are not examined adequately and others are not able to lodge their claims at all. Because its deportation practices are also arbitrary and haphazard, many of the tens of thousands of Zimbabweans registered as asylum seekers in South Africa are at risk of refoulement, the forcible return to persecution in Zimbabwe, a fundamental breach of international refugee law. As a party to the refugee convention, South Africa is bound by the principle of non-refoulement, and may not send people back to face persecution.

South Africa faces a stark choice: it can break international law by deporting asylum seekers and ignore the harsh reality faced by hundreds of thousands of other Zimbabweans on its territory, or it can grant them temporary status and the right to work.

Shame on the world for letting this happen. We have watched this catastrophe unfold for months. We have watched the people of Zimbabwe decline into food and economic crisis. We have moaned and groaned and wrung our hands at the plight of Zimbabweans. We have watched neighboring countries abuse and attack Zimbabwe refugees. We have watched The United Nations fail to mediate or intervene successfully. News media has risked life and limb to bring pictures of Zimbabwe and Darfur to the World’s attention. But, the world has distracted itself with personal economics. Consumerism, mortgage crisis and oil prices have trumped humanitarian interests. World Humanitarian Agencies are struggling to help with one hand tied behind their backs. If it is not in YOUR back yard, why should you care? Because, this is what happens when shouts of terror fall on deaf ears. The Golden Rule needs to be remembered by everyone. Every religion has a version of the same concept.

The wimpy GLOBAL humanitarian efforts applied to the Darfur and Burma disasters appear to have become the norm … This is unacceptable! Put down those IPODS and cell phones long enough to donate that dollar you would have spent on the lottery or latte. The Humanitarian Agencies need your help. Start with:

• International Crisis Group
• Human Rights NGO Forum
• Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR)
• Amnesty International
• Zimbabwe expels UN human rights officer
• United Nations Human Rights
• Peace Africa