How long will the Zimbabwe breakthrough last?
The President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki has facilitated one of the most remarkable deal in the modern era- an agreement by the two rival leaders of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe of Zanu-PF and Morgan Tsvangirai of MDC to work together in the running of the country.
However, the deal came as no reason for celebration for the citizens of this economically devastated state. People still go on with their daily struggling lives.
The hyper-inflation rates in Zimbabwe continues to grow, however, the country is breathing a sigh of relief with the announcement of removing the trailing zero’s from the denominations. It means that there are no trillionaires in Zimbabwe, as least now.
Whilst Mr Tsvangirai, in his capacity as Prime Minister, will handle the everyday affairs of the country and a council of Minister, Robert Mugabe will still retain the core powers of the state, such as controlling the armed forces.
How the two opposing politicians will work together still needs an explanation and there is a uncertainty that political upheaval could result from the formation of two “parallel governments”.
Nevertheless, whoever retains the absolute authority, they have the undeniable task of reviving the devastated economic state of the country. The power sharing agreement may once again open up the involvement of Zimbabwe in international affairs and bring about aid and donors who were keenly expecting a breakthrough of this magnitude.
But the serious question remains? When will Zimbabwe be accepted with open arms into international involvement, such as the Commonwealth. Many are still unsure of the validity of this fragile agreement. A single difference in opinion could trigger another political upheaval and push Zimbabwe back into the chaos and anarchy that has been stereotypical of this nation for almost a decade. What do you think?
Sudanese army attacks Darfur towns
Sudanese government troops have recently launched another series of attacks on towns in the Darfur region.
Some rebel groups in the area stated that the Sudanese troops, supported by by militias, helicopters and planes, had attacked the towns of Disa and Birmaza in the north of the region.
Series of Attacks
There has again been innocent deaths. What is the international community doing about it? Unreported fighting continues in the remote regions, however, the Western countries are basking in their own lavish lifestyles.
Sudanese Government forces have continued to launch unilateral offense against innocent civilians for the past months. The main objective of these offenses are to wrest control of key transport routes and oil reserves in the area.
When will this end?
Darfur! Have We all Forgotten about It?
Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP), led by President Omar al-Bashir, is desperate to prevent the independence of the south, which will be decided by referendum in 2011. After all, Sudan’s oilfields, currently al-Bashir’s cash cows, lie in the south. Sudan?s government has denied access to all but African troops, and, alongside a range of other demands, this has limited Unamid’s operability. Sudan’s Penal Code, which is based upon the government’s interpretation of Shari’a (Islamic law), includes penalties such as limb amputation, death, and death followed by crucifixion. Amnesty International regards these as cruel, inhuman or degrading punishments.
Sudan can control the rebellion, what they cannot, what Harun cannot do is attack the village, attack the civilians. They would not find any rebels in the cities, they would just attacking the civilians to remove them. Sudan’s penal code, which is based upon the government’s interpretation of Shari’a (Islamic law), includes penalties such as limb amputation, death and death followed by crucifixion. Sudanese oil fuels China’s growing economy. There are rumors that the Chinese government has funneled money into al-Bashir’s hands, thus funding the genocide.
Sudan is today the site of two contradictory processes. The first is the Naivasha peace process between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Government of Sudan, whose promise is an end to Africa’s longest festering civil war. Sudan’s neighbour Chad has been instrumental in mediation between the Government and rebels, and this has resulted in several ceasefire agreements - most recently the one signed on 8 April 2004. The African Union has agreed to deploy observers to monitor the ceasefire. Sudan’s internal problems are also not an Arab national security issue as claimed by the members of the Egyptian parliament. The conflict has always been an internal matter, as shown by the fact that none of the groups fighting the governments have targeted Arab countries, interests or people.
