Zimbabwe Situation on the Verge of Implosion

Former US President Jimmy Carter said Monday from South Africa that the situation in Zimbabwe is “far worse” than he had originally imagined. Mr. Carter, former UN Secretary Kofi Annan and Nelson Mandela’s wife Graca Machel – a human rights activist – were denied entry into Zimbabwe over the weekend. Aid groups say Zimbabwe is facing a major humanitarian crisis, with nearly half the population needing food aid by early next year. The head of the country’s ruling African National Congress, Jacob Zuma, said the situation in Zimbabwe was beyond “wait and see”, adding: “We have got to act and act now.” Kenya’s Prime Minister Raila Odinga called for African Union peacekeepers to be deployed to Zimbabwe immediately, saying “there is no legitimate government in Zimbabwe”. Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF and the opposition Movement of Democratic Change (MDC) – led by Morgan Tsvangirai are in a power-sharing stand-off following presidential elections that Mugabe essentially stole. Mugabe and Tsvangirai are set to meet in South Africa on Tuesday.

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