Ambassador Anderbrhan
Giorgis, Africa
Director for the International Crisis Group, discusses
political developments in Zimbabwe. President Robert Mugabe’s
ZANU-PF government has undertaken a violent crackdown against political
opposition and civil society.
Zimbabwe has the highest rate of inflation in the
world, 2,200 percent. The combination of an economic meltdown, rampant
corruption, humanitarian crisis and repression, have led to comparisons with Congo in the last days of Mobutu.
Giorgis will brief on the political dynamics, motivations, and strategies within
the ruling party, as well as the crackdown’s impact on and implications for the
opposition – the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). What are the prospects
for economic and political stabilization? What role can be played by
Zimbabwe’s neighbors,
including South
Africa? What can the international community
and regional organizations such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) do?