Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
In light of the resolutions made by the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) extraordinary summit held on June 23, 2021 in Maputo, Mozambique, the SADC regional civil society co-ordinated by the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition responds thus:
We call upon present SADC and African Union leaders to return the continent to the people and stop their narrow, selfish and often corrupt partnerships with international capital to extract the continents’ resources at the expense of the locals.
While civil society celebrates the deployment of the SADC Standby Force in Mozambique to combat acts of terrorism and violent extremism, emphasis of the deployment must be on humanitarian intervention, restoration of livelihoods as well as reintegration of societies affected by the insurgency in the Cabo Delgado province.
As noted on the Extraordinary SA-DC People’s Summit hosted by Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition and the Southern Africa People’s Solidarity Network on April 8, 2021, the armed conflict in Mozambique has its roots in unfair distribution of natural resources.
Therefore, local communities must fully participate and enjoy the economic benefits of natural resource endowments in their environs.
We further appreciate the commitment by the bloc’s towards the establishment of the Sadc Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre in Nacala, Mozambique.
We call upon Sadc to push leaders in Zambia and Zimbabwe to stop the tendency to change their national constitutions to block transitions and or tilt power towards the incumbents. The will of the citizens as protected by their national constitutions must be sovereign.
We celebrate with the people of Malawi and her political parties for facilitating a credible election and a peaceful transition.
SADC leadership must encourage Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe’s political leadership to commit to the organ’s principles and guidelines governing democratic elections and reform their disputed electoral frameworks to facilitate for the sanctity of the vote.
Sadc leadership must assist Zimbabwe and Lesotho, whose political orders are subjects of military coups, to return their countries to civilian rule. The ballot must be mightier than the bullet and coups.
We call upon SADC to ask the leadership of Zimbabwe to really address the historic injustices and insecurities faced by her people as well as free that country from militarism.
- Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
