Fund for Peace calls for arms embargo on Zimbabwe

Fund for Peace
Tuesday, 5 March 2002

In a letter to the U.N. Security Council today, The Fund for Peace called for U.N. smart sanctions on Zimbabwe, including an arms embargo and financial sanctions to be enacted immediately.

For the first time since the country's independence in 1980, President Robert Mugabe's regime faces a serious electoral challenge from the opposition and the possibility of defeat in the March 9-10 elections. But actions undertaken by the Zimbabwean government raise serious questions about whether the upcoming contest at the polls can be free and fair.

"A U.N. arms embargo will send a powerful signal to Mugabe's government and may prevent further lethal supplies of weapons, particularly from neighboring countries. International financial sanctions may deter government officials from supporting a rigged election," said Loretta Bondi, Advocacy Director of The Fund for Peace.

"This is a necessary step to stem the flow of weapons into Zimbabwe and help protect innocent civilians who wish to exercise their legitimate right to vote," stated Kathi Austin, Director of the Fund's Arms and Conflict Program.

Numerous reports have pointed out that the government is deploying forces to intimidate and attack opponents. It has crushed the independence of the judiciary, severely curtailed freedom of expression and speech, and cracked down on the national and international press to distort coverage of the elections. "The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has developed electoral standards that are being tossed aside in the Zimbabwe elections, even though Zimbabwe is a signatory," observed Mary Locke, Director of The Fund for Peace Regional Responses to Internal War Program.

"The European Union has placed 'smart sanctions' on Zimbabwe and the U.S. has followed suit," wrote Pauline Baker, President of The Fund for Peace in the letter. "By imposing its own mandatory targeted sanctions, the U.N. Security Council will give voice to the international community in its support of the right of the Zimbabwean people to choose their leader."

For more information, or to contact Fund for Peace, see their website at: www.fundforpeace.org