 Protesters marched at the Harare International Conference Centre, the venue for this week’s regional meeting. |
After hours of talks, Zimbabwe’s rival political parties remain at a standstill on a power-sharing deal.
The country’s neighbors — members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) — have now decided to intervene and hold a regional summit to resolve Zimbabwe’s political impasse. United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon has urged decisive action at the meeting.
As Zimbabwe’s political future hangs in the balance, bloggers from the region voice their thoughts about President Robert Mugabe and the political system.
Blogger “Kwapi” writes at the “NowPublic” Web site that Zimbabwe’s leaders, as well as its complacent citizens, are to blame for a cycle of poltical dysfunction.
Blogger “Opalo” demands an ultimatum, writing from Zimbabwe that the squabbling over cabinet seats ignores the plight of rural citizens in a country whose inflation rate recently reached 231 million percent.
A citizen journalist at “OhMyNews” writes about Mugabe’s current situation and the climate of fear in Zimbabwean politics.
On Oct. 27, 47 protesters from the Restoration of Human Rights group (ROHR) were arrested in Harare, Zimbabwe, where the regional summit will take place.
The “Zimbabwe Republic Police” blog, which monitors police action in Zimbabwe, concludes the protest was peaceful and that the officers involved should themselves be arrested.
Zimbabwe’s main opposition party accused the 28-year incumbent Mugabe of lacking sincerity about developing a cooperative government. Mugabe has led Zimbabwe since it gained independence from Britain in 1980. The opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, may boycott the forthcoming summit.
Photo courtesy of Flickr user Sokwanele under a Creative Commons license.
