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This article participates on the following special index pages:
2008 harmonised elections - Index of articles
Communiqué
of the African emergency summit on Zimbabwe
African civil society organizations
April 21, 2008
We, the 105
undersigned representatives of civil society from 21 countries in
Africa, after meeting in Dar es Salaam on the 21 April 2008, and
after debating, interrogating and considering the events subsequent
to the 29 March 2008 elections held in Zimbabwe, and after noting
the following:
- the groundbreaking
convening of such a diverse range of civil society organizations
from all regions of the African continent, all mobilizing for
a solution to the Zimbabwean crisis;
- that on 29
March 2008 the Zimbabwean populace voted for change;
- that there
is currently a blocked process with ZANU PF attempting to stay
in power through coercion. There is intimidation, arrests, torture
and killing of opposition supporters, civil society activists
and lawyers and this is a miscarriage of justice and further undermines
the fundamental principles of democracy, rule of law and human
rights;
- that through
the ongoing delay in announcing the presidential results and through
spurious attempts by ZANU PF to have a recount in some parliamentary
constituencies, the election process has been negated and any
run-off as a result of a recount or an announcement of results
will be illegitimate and not an expression of the free will of
the people of Zimbabwe as exercised on 29 March 2008;
- That the
AU mediation process delegated to SADC was supposed to deliver
an election that was broadly accepted by the people and that the
delayed presidential announcement and recount in constituencies
has prevented such an election to the people of Zimbabwe;
- that the
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has not acted independently
and are discredited;
- that the
judiciary has been compromised and is not independent;
- that the
military is politicized and has excessive control over the government,
- that Zimbabwe
is in a constitutional crisis and the legal environment has been
compromised and does not provide for and protect the rule of law;
and
- that certain
international countries such as China are propping up an illegitimate
regime through a range of activities from diplomatic silence to
the provision of arms and ammunition to ZANU PF.
- We further
recognize the important role played by certain countries and people
in attempting to resolve the crisis and impasse in Zimbabwe, and
are encouraged by efforts and support of particular African Heads
of State who recognized that the will of the people as reflected
on the 29th March 2008 has been compromised in the subsequent
electoral process.
We call upon
the African Union to initiate and implement the following:
- Any result
emanating from the current recount should not be recognized and
that the electoral crisis be resolved through a political settlement
that reflects the will of the people as expressed on the 29th
March 2008. To achieve this settlement, the African Union must
appoint an independent high level Pan-African panel of eminent
persons;
- To prevent
any presidential run-off that may emanate as a consequence of
the presidential results being announced; these results are corrupted
and compromised;
- The state
campaign of violence against the people for exercising their democratic
rights must be condemned at the highest level of the AU;
- The mediation
efforts put forth by the Southern African Development Community
(SADC) and endorsed by the African Union has failed to deliver
the necessary solutions and has further compromised the will of
the people. The entire mediation process has lacked transparency,
neutrality, openness and consultation of the majority of the people.
The SADC elected mediator has shown a clear bias to the incumbent
government and he should be removed from the mediation process
with immediate effect;
- The international
law principle and norm of Responsibility to Protect places primary
responsibility in the hands of the State to protect its people
from crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes. However,
where the State itself is the perpetrator of such heinous crimes,
and/or where it fails or neglects to protect its people, the international
Responsibility to Protect cannot be stopped by self-serving claims
of sovereignty on the part of armed and predatory elites. The
African Union has the responsibility to put into place measures
to protect;
- Consistent
with Article 4 of the African Union Constitutive Act which provides
for the "right of the Union to intervene in a Member State
pursuant to a decision of the Assembly in respect of grave circumstances",
that is war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity, we call
on the African Union to protect the Zimbabwean population against
the military and paramilitary retribution that communities are
currently being subjected to, for voting Mr. Mugabe out of office.
- That the
AU call upon China and other countries that are propping up the
ZANU PF regime to desist from any such actions.
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