Mugabe 'beating own people to death', says UK government
Britain accused Robert Mugabe today of 'beating his own people to death' in a desperate attempt to cling on to power.
As international observers criticised an elections recount in Zimbabwe, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband also raised fears the country’s president was orchestrating a “charade of democracy”.
A recount in 23 constituencies has been ordered after Mr Mugabe’s Zanu PF party lost control of parliament in elections three weeks ago.
The results of an accompanying presidential poll have still not been released amid concerns that Mr Mugabe is seeking to rig the results.
“No one can have any faith in this recount,” Mr Miliband said in a written statement to the House of Commons.
He suggested that the arrests of 13 employees of the Electoral Commission and the “ludicrously slow” recount meant Mr Mugabe was seeking to regain his majority in parliament and improve his count in the presidential contest.
“If that is the case, then what we are witnessing is a charade of democracy,” Mr Miliband said.
“We can have little confidence that whatever is ultimately announced as the presidential election results will not have been sullied and contaminated by rigging during this count.”
Mr Miliband praised dockers in Durban, South Africa, who turned away a Chinese ship with weapons destined for Zimbabwe.
“The reaction of South African dockers to the direction to unload arms they believed destined for Zimbabwe shows that ordinary Africans do not condone the way in which President Mugabe is clinging on to power and beating his own people to death to ensure he retains it.”
Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), claims he won an outright victory in the presidential election.
Independent observers say he is more likely to face a run-off election against Mr Mugabe, 84.
MDC secretary general Tendai Biti said there were clear signs of irregularities in the recount and South African politician Dianne Kohler-Barnard dismissed it as a sham.
The opposition has also claimed mounting violence and intimidation against people who voted for their candidates, especially in rural areas that once were Mugabe strongholds.
Violence has displaced 3,000 people, injured 500 and left 10 dead, Mr Biti said.
Mr Miliband accused Zanu PF of trying to “punish people for the choices they have made and to intimidate them into submission” in any second round of the presidential poll.
International pressure to release the presidential election results continued to mount, with neighbouring Malawi calling on Mr Mugabe to resume talks with Britain, white farmers and the MDC.
Mr Miliband said Britain still felt countries in the region were best placed to apply pressure on Mr Mugabe.
“If President Mugabe and those who keep him in office will listen to anyone, they will listen to their peers in the region and in Africa more widely,” he said.
Relations with South African president Thabo Mbeki have been strained in recent weeks as he has appeared to back Mr Mugabe in the stand-off with the international community.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is due to have talks at Number 10 with African National Congress president Jacob Zuma on Wednesday.
Mr Zuma, who is expected to take over from Mr Mbeki as South African president, has been more outspoken about the need for world leaders to challenge Mr Mugabe’s regime.
