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Africa: Subsaharan
Call to halt Mugabe's demolitions
2005-06-24
More than 200 international human rights and civic groups yesterday urged the African Union and the UN to stop Zimbabwe's government destroying the homes and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of poor city dwellers. In a joint statement, the groups said the campaign was "a grave violation of international human rights law and a disturbing affront to human dignity".
There. That oughta do it.
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe defends the drive as an urban renewal initiative against illegal buildings and traders, but his political opposition, which has its base among the urban poor, says the month-long campaign is meant to punish its supporters.

The international groups, including Amnesty International and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, said the number of people affected was conservatively estimated as at least 300,000. The UN puts the figure as high as 1.5 million, though Zimbabwe's police only acknowledge about 120,000.

Bands of armed thugs Police have torched or bulldozed tens of thousands of shacks and street stalls since launching the blitz on May 19. Other buildings have been torn down by their owners at gunpoint. Two children, aged one and one-and-a-half years, died this month after they were crushed by rubble during the demolition of their houses, the state media reported yesterday.

The UN said it planned to send a special envoy to Zimbabwe to assess the situation.
From AI to the UN. In the meantime, the bulldozers keep rolling ...
Posted by:Steve White

#9  Bob and wifey will be shopping in Paris again this summer...

Calling Jason Bourne...
Posted by: mojo   2005-06-24 13:42  

#8  I think we should just kill him. A stitch in time saves nine.
Posted by: 2b   2005-06-24 09:34  

#7  Send Kojo.
You know, it takes a thief to catch a thief...
Posted by: True German Ally   2005-06-24 08:56  

#6  Yesterday was 6/23/05. Let's see how long it takes the UN guy to read the Zagats book on Zimbabwe and then get his ass down there.
Posted by: tu3031   2005-06-24 08:53  

#5  "The UN said it planned to send a special envoy..."
Sorry, Kofi, but Rachel Corey is no longer available. Why don't you go?
Posted by: Tom   2005-06-24 08:10  

#4  Another heat wave in Paris may do...
Posted by: True German Ally   2005-06-24 05:11  

#3  And Bob and wifey will be shopping in Paris again this summer... If our special forces can manage to kill Princess Diana in Paris surely they can dispatch Bob in a similarly effective manner...
Posted by: Howard UK   2005-06-24 04:49  

#2  Boy, the special envoys will be a callin' and the sternly worded letters will a flyin', doncha know.
Posted by: .com   2005-06-24 02:12  

#1  This is what the US is facing in our OWN COUNTRY thanks to the robed asshats, known as the SC.
Posted by: mmurray821   2005-06-24 00:19  

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