Mugabe Claims Security Ministries, Jeopardizing Deal - Laura Johnson 10/3/08

Zimbabwe’s 12 million people are living in calamitous and deteriorating poverty as inflation has soared to 231 million percent. The UN estimates that 1/3 of the population is hungry and in need of food aid, which is overwhelmingly provided by the United States and Britain. However, Mr. Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe for 28 years, continues to denounce these claims. He continues to promote the idea that Western influence is the cause of Zimbabwe’s increased waning condition all the while he controls what food aid is sent to him and controls what the mass media produces for information to the public.

Mr. Mugabe has allocated to his own party the ministries of Defense, Home Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Justice and Media, and the Finance Ministry. Dominance over these would reinforce his continued ability to use the country’s security forces to enforce his political power and sustain his ability to shape economic policy. Mr. Tsvangirai’s party (an opposition party for the Movement for Democratic Change) was given ministries that oversee Constitutional Affairs, Energy, Health, Labor, and Social Welfare. Although a power-sharing, not power-grabbing, deal was signed between the two leaders three weeks, Mr. Mugabe’s party has been making the case that he is still in charge of the government and has continued to suggest that Mr. Tzvangirai and his party are “pawns” of the West, particularly the US and Britain.

Mr. Mugabe’s regime, which has remained powerful even though a democratic election took place in March, has brought the country to shambles. Human rights groups and witnesses declared that the election was a military-led campaign of violence against the opposition party. Mr. Tsvangirai dropped out of the run-off in June before it was held due to the killing and beating of many of his party’s workers and supporters. Out of fear, Mugabe won a majority vote even though he was outpolled in the election. A terror in his country, Mr. Mugabe still wields any influence that could possibly bring his country back to life. Despite all of the power-sharing agreements with Tsvangirai, he continues to seize power through acts of violence and mislead media productions.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/world/africa/12zimbabwe.html?em