VII. The Regional Failure to Address Zimbabwe’s Crisis Leaders of southern African states have repeatedly ignored the violations of human rights inflicted on the people of Zimbabwe by Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF government, and they have not taken serious steps to help alleviate their suffering. ZANU-PF’s long history of abuses culminated in the widespread violence in the build-up to the June 27, 2008 presidential election run-off between Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai. Tsvangirai was forced to pull out of the race after over 160 MDC activists were killed and thousands beaten and tortured.113 Despite declarations by AU and SADC observers that the subsequent one-candidate elections were not free and fair due to the violence, Mugabe declared himself president. As this and previous Human Rights Watch reports document, serious human rights abuses by ZANU-PF continued, as before, following the signing of the Global Political Agreement between ZANU-PF and the MDC on September 15. Yet neither the AU nor SADC have condemned Mugabe’s actions or taken any measures that would promote a genuine democratic transition, including questioning Mugabe’s right to assume Zimbabwe’s seat at the AU summit. At the 11th ordinary session of the AU summit from June 30 to July 1, 2008, in Egypt, AU leaders missed an important opportunity to press Mugabe on the worsening human rights situation in a decisive manner.114 An AU resolution on Zimbabwe expressed deep concern at the situation in the country and its impact on the sub-region. The resolution appealed to the parties concerned to refrain from actions that would negatively impact on the climate of dialogue. However, the resolution failed to condemn the widespread violence perpetrated by ZANU-PF before the presidential run-off on June 27, or to hold Mugabe responsible. And instead of demanding respect for human rights in Zimbabwe, the resolution merely endorsed SADC’s mediation efforts under former South African president Thabo Mbeki. As many observers—Zimbabwean as well as international—warned it would, this approach has proven ineffectual. It is beyond time for the AU to act. SADC has not achieved the results 113 See Human Rights Watch, “They Beat Me Like a Dog”: Political Persecution of Opposition Activists and Supporters in Zimbabwe, August 2008, http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2008/08/11/they-beat-me-dog-0. 114 African Union, Resolution on Zimbabwe, July 1, 2008, http://www.africaunion.org/root/au/Conferences/2008/june/summit/dec/ASSEMBLY%20DECISIONS%20193%20-%20207%20(XI).pdf (accessed January 12, 2009). Crisis without Limits 32