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African CSOs recommend reforms in Zimbabwe
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
May 24, 2007

The African Civil Society Organizations meeting in Accra, Ghana resolved to push for a resolution to urge the government of Zimbabwe to stop gross human rights abuses and open up the political and media space. Meeting before the 41st Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and People's Rights (ACHPR) in Accra Ghana on May 12-14, the African NGO forum passed the resolutions on the background of the Zimbabwe report that notes the further closure of democratic space and the deteriorating socio-economic condition of the people of Zimbabwe.

The Zimbabwe report specifically cites critical issues including, (a) the dangerous conditions that the media and media practitioners are operating under, (b), the attacks on human rights defenders including lawyers and political actors, and (c) the impunity of the government of Zimbabwe including its non-observance of court orders. The NGO forum was represented by civil society organizations from the continents five political regions, East Africa, Central Africa, West Africa, North Africa and West Africa.

The African NGO forum called on the ACHPR to focus on and work with the governments of Zimbabwe, Eritrea, the Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and the Gambia and encourage them to end the deteriorating human rights conditions characterized by lawlessness and lack of commitment to the internationally espoused tenets of human and people's rights.

The representative of the African NGOs on the commission, Ms Anna Foster, the Head of the Africa Institute for Human Rights (AIHR) in the Gambia emphasized the continents' position on the crisis in Zimbabwe in her statement, precisely that "the government of Zimbabwe is encouraged to stop the human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, and urge the Zimbabwean government to keep to the spirit of promoting and protecting human rights as dictated by the African Charter on Human and People's Rights"

During the open forum of the African Commission, the representatives of Mozambique, South Africa and Malawi encouraged the delegation from Zimbabwe, which was led by Honourable Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa to improve the socio-economic and political situation of the people of Zimbabwe. Mozambique and South Africa specifically noted an increased volume of Zimbabweans migrating to these countries signifying a crisis in Zimbabwe. Further to the estimated 3 million people constantly migrating within the region, the plight of children, women, the HIV positive and the aged was emphasized.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Minister Chinamasa threatened various civic actors from Zimbabwe including Arnold Tsunga, Justice Majuru and Abel Chikomo. The Zimbabwe delegation refrained from making their shadow report on the background of these threats, until the commission requested Honourable Chinamasa to assure the safety of the Zimbabwean civic leaders after presenting their report.

The commission then organized a private session for the state party (government) and the civil society from Zimbabwe to hear the two sides before the public session. Chinamasa, the head of delegation of the Zimbabwe government, informed the Commission that the government of Zimbabwe had no problems with NGOs. However, he noted that NGOs in Zimbabwe are "auxiliaries of the opposition, which itself is a creation of the West for the agenda of regime change in Zimbabwe." On that basis, he pointed out that the position of the government of Zimbabwe is that they would "not talk to NGOs, but the British government". He then encouraged the Commission to be "fair" and to separate "facts from fiction" when dealing with Zimbabwe. On that note, the government asked the Commission to stop "the mediation with NGOs as the SADC had initiated dialogue in Zimbabwe, so the African Commission must give that dialogue a chance".

The Commission insisted and pleaded with the Zimbabwean delegation to take serious note of the reports made by several African civic organizations on the human rights situation in Zimbabwe, and on that basis take the opportunity to dialogue, to which plea, Chinamasa threatened to "walk out, as the Zimbabwean government had been ambushed by the African Commission".

The Chairperson of the Commission, with total agreement of the eight commissioners, adjourned the meeting to preserve its "civilization".

Commenting on the outcome of the process, Arnold Tsunga, who had been accused of "glob trotting to tarnish Zimbabwe's image" including other delegates from the continent, particularly Nigeria, Ghana, Mozambique, Malawi and South Africa deplored the government of Zimbabwe's failure to Honour the commission. The Commission, however, confirmed their commitment to work for the good of the Zimbabwean people despite an i-don't-care attitude presented by the delegation from Zimbabwe.

Visit the Crisis in Zimbabwe fact sheet

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