UN envoy urges Africa to address Zimbabwe crisis
JOHANNESBURG, 7 December (IRIN) - UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland has told South Africa that Africa should be “more outspoken on Zimbabwe".
In an interview with IRIN after his meeting on Wednesday with Sue van der Merwe, South Africa’s deputy minister for foreign affairs, Egeland said, “We told them that each time it must not be Europe or any other western country raising issues [around] Zimbabwe.”
The African Union has been taken to task by human rights bodies for its failure to criticise the Zimbabwean government’s controversial clean-up campaign, Operation Murambatsvina, which left more than 700,000 people homeless or without a livelihood when it started in mid-May.
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America's top Africa official Jenday Frazer says she is "disappointed" with Africa's leaders for "looking away" from the Zimbabwe crisis.
Frazer, former United States ambassador to South Africa and now assistant secretary of state for Africa, was in South Africa where she met foreign minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Monday.
She acknowledged that South Africa was not looking the other way on Zimbabwe in so far as it was trying to mediate there.
But on the other hand it was not openly saying there was a crisis there either as it had, for instance, in the Togo crisis.
"When I say African leaders
Rights groups petition Africa over Zimbabwe
HARARE (Reuters) - More than 150 international rights groups petitioned African governments and the continent's main political union on Wednesday to act on what they called a humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe.
President Robert Mugabe's government drew global criticism over its demolition of urban slums this year. The United Nations said Mugabe's Operation Restore Order has destroyed the homes or jobs of at least 700,000 people and affected the lives of 2.4 million others.
"Today's mass letter-writing appeal highlights the ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in the country and the failure of African states and the AU
S. Africa, Zimbabwe open migrant center
To address an increasing flow of illegal migrants from Zimbabwe to South Africa, the countries announced plans Tuesday for a joint border migration office.
With support from the International Organization for Migration, officials will assist Zimbabweans with obtaining valid work permits, and also offer counseling on HIV and AIDS, the BBC reported.
'Deportees and other people in need of legal documents will be served food and other basic amenities while their papers are being sorted,' South African government spokesman Page Boikanyo said.
The exodus is being driven by economic collapse and a government housing demolition program.
Last week,
South Africa, Zimbabwe strengthen defense, intelligence ties
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) -- South Africa and Zimbabwe signed an agreement to strengthen defense and intelligence ties at a ceremony Thursday emphasizing the solidarity between the two neighbors in the face of growing international condemnation of Zimbabwe.
South African Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils praised Zimbabwe's "advances and successes" in the 25 years since its independence from Britain. He said the two countries shared a "common world view" and would "march forward shoulder to shoulder."
The comments contrasted with the criticism heaped on Zimbabwe by most Western governments, which accuse Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe of
Zimbabwean and South African officials are to meet in the next two weeks for further talks on the possibility of loan assistance, a government spokesman confirmed on Wednesday.
"Talks have been continuing, but the two sides have not met recently," South African treasury spokesman Logan Wort told IRIN.
The countries have been negotiating an aid package worth almost US $500 million, including an outstanding payment of $175 million to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to prevent Zimbabwe's expulsion from the international financial institution.
But talks had stalled over Zimbabwe's reluctance to enforce political and economic recovery plans - conditions set by the
