Thank you Steve for that introduction, I’m very happy to be here at CSIS today. And I want to thank our panel members for coming so far to participate in the discussion on this important issue.
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All across Africa there is increasing prosperity, promise and freedom. It is a continent on the march.
This year, the region is forecasted to grow by 6.2 percent (IMF). Inflation is at historic lows and the prevalence of poverty is falling. In 1990, Freedom House categorized 28 countries as “not free” – today that number is only 15.
Africa is commanding significantly more attention by international businesspeople as an attractive place for trade and investment.
In stark contrast, a very few imploding countries remain a powerful blight on Sub-Saharan Africa. They have problems that demand international and regional attention. Most of those problems are about fundamental issues like freedom versus oppression; democracy versus tyranny; economic opportunity versus kleptocratic rule; human rights versus political violence.
The good news is that marked progress has been achieved in recent years to dramatically reduce the number of these crisis spots. The bad news is that millions of people continue to live daily with the threat of violence, starvation, and political oppression.
Zimbabwe is one of those places.
The economic data are staggering: Over 80% of the population is unemployed, and private sector experts put inflation at over 60,000%, now the world’s highest by a huge margin. After seven years of severe economic decline one-quarter of the population has left the country, seeking better opportunities elsewhere, and more than one-third of the remaining population is food insecure.
The UN Human Development Index shows that Zimbabwe’s score is lower today than it was in 1975.
Last June, the government attempted to vanquish this hyperinflationary environment by fiat. It ordered all businesses to freeze prices immediately. Not surprising, the shelves were emptied within days and numerous businesses suspended operations or went bankrupt. Today, the shelves are still largely devoid of basic commodities, such as bread and meat.
The primary victims of the accelerating political repression and economic collapse are the ordinary people of Zimbabwe. They are finding it increasingly difficult simply to get by on a day-to-day basis.
At one time many Zimbabweans looked to Mr. Mugabe as a liberator. But he has now failed the people of Zimbabwe and the region as a whole. Twenty years ago Mugabe sent many children to school, now he is beating and brutalizing them as free thinking adults. This regime uses [brutal] repression and political violence to vanquish any form of dissent.
This year has been the worst yet for defenders of freedom in Zimbabwe. Over 6000 instances of human rights abuses have been reported by Zimbabwean NGOs since January 2007.
We are all familiar with the brutal assault on the peaceful prayer gathering on March 11 and subsequent beatings of Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and civil society leaders by Zimbabwean security forces and government supporters. The images were graphic and abhorrent. The international community was rightly outraged by the blind belligerence of the perpetrators. As President Bush has said, “In Zimbabwe, ordinary citizens suffer under a tyrannical regime. The government has cracked down on peaceful calls for reform and forced millions to flee their homeland. The behavior of the Mugabe regime is an assault on its people.”
The attacks, arrests, and abductions continue unabated, with over 500 instances of human rights abuses reported each month. The number of victims requiring medical treatment this year (3,463) nearly tripled from 2006 (1,185).
The intent is clear. The Mugabe regime has acted to systematically destroy all groups opposing its continued oppressive rule, including opposition political parties, civil society, students, private businesspeople, and other groups.
Mugabe’s tyranny needs to end.
Meanwhile, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has worked hard to address the ongoing crisis, establishing a negotiating process intended to establish free and fair elections and resolve the country’s economic difficulties. However, the ongoing human rights abuses during the course of the SADC process call into question the Mugabe regime’s true commitment to that process.
For example, ZANU-PF cadres severely beat 22 members of the National Constitutional Assembly, a pro-democracy civil society organization, on November 22 – the very day that South African President Thabo Mbeki visited Harare to press for resolution of the crisis.
Nonetheless, we support without reservation the SADC initiative to bring together the ruling and opposition parties for talks on resolving the country’s political and economic crisis. Specifically, we commend President Mbeki for his leadership and public commitment to deliver free and fair elections in Zimbabwe.
However, to be successful, the rhetoric of any political agreement between the involved parties must be matched by reality on the ground. That is why we have repeatedly called for the Mugabe government to end immediately the violent attacks against democratic activists and civil society organizations, to respect the rule of law, and to allow the Zimbabwean people to exercise their political rights peacefully.
We look forward to seeing whether the two sides are able to reach a final agreement. If they do, implementation will take time.
In planning that implementation, it is important to note that after sustaining years of ruthless and escalating attacks, the democratic opposition will need time to reorganize for the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections – likely several months – after an agreement is reached and fully implemented. Without such a period in which the MDC is free to present its case to the Zimbabwean people, there can be no truly democratic election.
We urge all parties to allow for that time to rebuild in advance of what we hope – and the Zimbabwean people demand – will be a free and fair election process.
There is also a clear need for robust monitoring of the agreement’s implementation, including human rights, the pre-election campaign period, and the election-day voting process.
The SADC-Parliamentary Forum, as an independent and pro-democracy regional body, is well positioned to mount an extensive monitoring effort. Other international groups, such as the African Union, United Nations, the European Union, and relevant non-governmental organizations must play a large role as well.
Misrule in Zimbabwe has created real burdens for its neighbors, and we recognize that the leaders of southern Africa have a special role to play in pressing for a solution. At the same time, our conscience as a nation dictates certain measures to deny human rights abusers access to our markets, our universities, and our territory.
Given Mugabe’s escalated use of violence, the United States will be imposing additional sanctions against the worst perpetrators of the regime’s brutality.
Financial sanctions will be imposed in the coming days against several additional Zimbabweans not yet sanctioned who played a central role in the regime’s escalated human rights abuses and two additional companies that are owned or controlled by specially designated individuals.
The United States also will impose travel sanctions today against 38 additional individuals, including 9 state security officials involved in human rights abuses and anti-democratic activities in recent months.
The affected individuals will include at least five adult children of Zimbabwe government officials implicated in similar activities, who are currently studying in the United States.
It is intolerable that those closest to Mugabe are enjoying the privilege of sending their children to the United States for an education, when they have destroyed the once-outstanding educational system in their own country, thereby depriving ordinary Zimbabweans of a decent education.
We continuously review the need for adding new names to our targeted sanctions. If the violence fails to cease, we will be expanding our sanctions further. We are particularly watching those people, and the firms they control, who are using their position to enrich themselves at the expense of suffering Zimbabweans.
If necessary we will take additional measures against those who have been profiting from the current crisis.
Let me be clear, we can reverse these actions once the politically motivated violence ceases and the government implements the reforms needed to restore Zimbabwe to what it once was – a democratic and prosperous country that was a jewel of the region. These are very high goals that SADC and other international actors seek to achieve, but Zimbabwe and the world can settle for nothing less.
In the meantime, the United Sates will continue to provide food and other humanitarian assistance, as well as assistance for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care. In 2007 we will deliver over $170 million in food aid. This will feed over 1.5 million Zimbabweans until the hunger season ends next March.
We are prepared to do even more. We stand ready to augment substantively our development assistance to a government that makes credible and significant progress toward genuine economic and political reform, such as:
(1) Full and equal access to humanitarian assistance;
(2) Restoration of the Rule of Law, including enforcement of contracts, an independent judiciary, and respect for property rights;
(3) A commitment to the democratic process and respect for applicable international human rights obligations, including a commitment to freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom of association;
(4) A commitment to macroeconomic stabilization in accordance with guidance from relevant international agencies; and
(5) Timely elections held in accordance with international obligations, and in the presence of international election observers.
The Government of Zimbabwe can set a course to meet these principles easily enough; the choice is theirs. It requires that Government concede on one fundamental point: that it serves the people of Zimbabwe, and that the people may freely exercise ultimate authority over those who would govern them.
The people of Zimbabwe deserve our collective attention and action in support of their brave struggle for a just and prosperous future. We cannot abandon them in this noble quest and time of need.