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Title: Army and police desert beleaguered Mugabe
Source:
UK Guardian
URL Source: http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,2015618,00.html
Published: Feb 19, 2007
Author: Andrew Meldrum in Johannesburg
Post Date: 2007-02-19 00:06:53 by Jhoffa_
Keywords: None
Views: 295
Comments: 2
Army and police desert beleaguered Mugabe Widespread desertions from Zimbabwe's army and police are weakening Robert Mugabe's security forces as large strikes loom because of the country's deepening economic collapse. With inflation now at a global record of 1,600 per cent, The Observer can reveal that soldiers and police officers who cannot feed their families are leaving their posts in large numbers. Flyers of army officers who have gone missing are posted in the hallways of the King George VI headquarters in Harare and the 1 Commando quarters near the airport, according to journalists. 'There are Awol notices up in the barracks, our reporter saw them,' said Bill Saidi, editor of the Standard newspaper. 'Discontent is very high up to mid-level officers. They do not earn enough to buy basic groceries. They are suffering the hardships all of us suffer now, yet they are the ones Mugabe depends upon to be ruthless in putting down any opposition. It adds up to trouble for Mugabe.' Unhappiness is also rife among police. More than 10 per cent of officers have resigned and will leave next month, according to a report by Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri, leaked to the Harare press. Many are joining the flood of the more than two million Zimbabweans estimated to be in South Africa. Mugabe can ill afford weakening security forces as popular unrest is growing. A strike of doctors and nurses at government hospitals is in its eighth week and threatens to spread to teachers and civil servants. Trade unions are considering calling a nationwide general strike, despite the beatings and torture meted out to labour leaders last September. Meanwhile, in an interview published yesterday Mugabe accused Britain of refusing dialogue with its former colony, and said he expects ties to improve after Tony Blair steps down. Harare's official Herald newspaper said the dictator, at odds with Britain since ordering the seizure of white-owned farms in 2000, had asked former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa to try to broker talks with Britain, but later asked him to step down because the task was 'insurmountable'. 'Blair behaves like a headmaster, old fashioned, who dictates that things must be done his way: "Do it or you... remain an outcast",' Mugabe is quoted as saying. 'But we are hoping that with the departure of Blair, there will be a better situation and they can be talked to.' Mugabe, ruler of Zimbabwe since its independence in 1980, claimed Britain has been trying to oust him. But the UK says Zimbabwe's long-running political and economic crisis is a result of rights abuses, vote-rigging and skewed policies, which have nothing to do with London. Zimbabwe is also plagued by widespread power blackouts, often lasting more than eight hours. A breakdown in municipal water treatment is blamed for an outbreak of cholera in Harare's Mabvuku township. Life expectancy has plummeted to 36, the world's lowest, the economy has shrunk by 50 per cent since 2000 and inflation hit its record last week. The International Monetary Fund predicts it will soar to above 4,000 per cent this year. Yet Mugabe's supporters - now trying to raise more than £1m to stage lavish celebrations to mark his 83rd birthday on Wednesday - appear unperturbed. The funds and advertisements praising him will come from the same state-owned utilities that are failing to provide clean water, electricity and transport. 'Mugabe is acting as if nothing is amiss and everyone should be happy to celebrate his birthday. He is not picking up the signs of growing unrest,' said Saidi.
Poster Comment: Sounds like their despot is nearly as incapable as our own. Just kidding.. We all know it's really whitey's fault.
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#1. To: Jhoffa_ (#0)
I guess that is what happens when you take land from farmers then don't have someone else capable to farm it.
Yes it is true...I am a thought criminal.
Yeah, It is. I won't attempt to absolve the effects of British colonialism, however. It's enough to say that they're in over their heads, and this was the obvious result from the beginning. So long as we're on the subject.. Why is British Colonialism never mentioned with regards to Iraq? If you want to look at this in a historical context, the argument could be made that we are STILL suffering the effects of the collapse of the last "great" Empire. To the best of my (admittedly limited) knowledge, the region was hammered into a state and held together by force. Look at the inhabitants of Iraq.. Three quite disparate cultures. It's hard to imagine a scenario where modern day Iraq would have resulted, had the region been left to develop on it's own. This in turn may explain what we're doing there, or what we will be doing soon. If "democracy" doesn't work, we may divide it (Or allow it to divide itself. Devolve, if you will) into several chunks. Which some might say can be managed far more easily than one continuous state with vast resources and the financial wherewithal to disturb it's neighbors. Primarily Israel. Speaking of Israel and the British. Their ill conceived "partition plan" (Which looks more like low quality quiltwork to me) can take the rap for that mess as well. If we're still suffering the after effects of the British Empire now, it begs the question: We are much greater than they in many respects.. How long will our collapse continue to manifest itself in clandestine and nebulous ways?
#2. To: A K A Stone (#1)
(Edited)
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