With the threat of political violence looming in Zimbabwe, southern Africa’s heads of state were summoned Wednesday to an “extraordinary” weekend meeting to address the crisis that has gripped the country since a disputed presidential vote last month.
The Southern African Development Community, a regional bloc of 14 nations, acted after Zimbabwe’s political opposition complained about “the deafening silence” from its African neighbors and warned that the electoral standoff could turn increasingly violent without international intervention. Already, the opposition has said, about 200 of its polling agents, campaign workers and other supporters have been arrested, beaten or kidnapped since the March 29 election.
It was unclear whether Zimbabwe’s neighbors— many of them with political or fraternal bonds to Zimbabwe’s 84-year- old autocratic President Robert Mugabe — could or would do much to defuse the crisis.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change insists it won the March presidential election, ousting Mugabe. But Mugabe has refused to yield.
