Zimbabwe Update -- The African Union is "Irritated" at the "Kgokgo"

The rapidly deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe, as Mad Bobby Mugabe pursues his insane "cleansing" program, has finally caught the attention of the world. Reports of the atrocities have filtered into the MSM and at the G-8 summit, British Foreign Minister Jack Straw, backed by the attendees, issued a call for Mugabe "to abide by the rule of law and respect human rights." [here]

More than 200 human rights organizations and civic groups have labeled Mugabe's campaign, "a grave violation of international human rights law and a disturbing affront to human dignity." [Of course, they ignored his thuggery when it was directed against whites.]

The rights groups urged the African Union, which is meeting in Libya next month, and the United Nations to act against Zimbabwe – but did not specify how.

They also demanded that Zimbabwe compensate the displaced and allow them access to humanitarian workers, who they say are currently being blocked from providing relief.

[here] and [here]

And how did the African states respond to this crisis and calls from the international community?

BBC reports:

The African Union has rejected calls from the UK and the US to put pressure on Zimbabwe to stop its demolition of illegal houses and market stalls.

An AU spokesman told the BBC that it had many more serious problems to consider than Zimbabwe.

The UN says that 275,000 people have been made homeless. At least three children have been crushed to death.

Urging the AU to take action, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice described recent events as "tragic".

....

"If the government that they elected say they are restoring order by their actions, I don't think it would be proper for us to go interfering in their internal legislation," AU spokesman Desmond Orjiako told the BBC's Network Africa program

Read it here.

And what about South Africa, the only nation really positioned to interfere?

The Cape Times reports:

A government spokesman expressed irritation yesterday at a so-called bogeyman approach being used to scare African countries, like children, into conforming with the West. Pretoria: A government spokesman expressed irritation yesterday at a so-called bogeyman approach being used to scare African countries, like children, into conforming with the West. "I am really irritated by this kgokgo approach," presidential spokesman Bheki Khumalo said when approached for comment on a call by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw for African action against Zimbabwe. Kgokgo is a Sotho word meaning something akin to a bogeyman being used to scare children into being obedient. "South Africa refuses to accept the notion that because suddenly we're going to a G8 summit (of the world's developed nations) we must be reminded that we must look good and appease the G8 leaders. We will do things because we believe they are correct and right."
....
Khumalo said he was "sick and tired of the ghost of the G8 being invoked", and with a view that Africa should please the G8 ahead of its coming summit.

Read it here.

So that's it. The reports of atrocities are only scare stories and doing anything to stop the carnage would be bowing to the demands of white European masters. The anti-colonialist crap continues to flow.

Faugh!

And the problem is worse than is being generally reported. BBC notes

[M]any of those other African governments have overseen similar brutal evictions in their own countries, and yet have suffered very little outside criticism.

The sad truth is that what is going on in Zimbabwe at the moment is not at all unusual.

From one end of Africa to the other, governments have set about slum clearance schemes without any consideration for the people who live there, or any sense of responsibility for what happens to them afterwards.

....

The victims of the Zimbabwe eviction are lucky that because of the political campaign being run against President Robert Mugabe, both inside and outside the country, there are well-organized and well-funded people calling attention to their plight.

But it seems unlikely that Africa's other leaders will sympathise with the displaced rather than with a fellow president cleaning up his country's city, and will speak out on their behalf.

Read it here.

So what Mugabe is doing is considered business as usual through much of the continent. Mugabe's actions and the response to them should give pause to those who support Tony Blair's aid initiative that would rely on the African Union to guarantee that donor funds would be appropriately spent.