Time for accountability 5 Among those who instigated the violence were members of the Joint Operations Command (JOC), a powerful group made up of senior military, intelligence, prisons and police officials, and government representatives, who publicly stated their loyalty to President Mugabe. They went as far as declaring that they would not salute Morgan Tsvangirai even if he was elected leader.8 Victims of the violence told Amnesty International that senior army and police officers threatened to kill them if they voted for the MDC. There is no evidence that the government conducted any investigations into the allegations of serious human rights violations committed by members of the security forces during the election run-up period. A small number of people in Zimbabwe have a vested interest in perpetuating the culture of impunity in order to escape accountability for human rights violations or to retain their wealth and privileges. Some of these individuals were implicated in the politically motivated violence that followed the 29 March 2008 elections. They include senior serving and retired members of the army, intelligence service and police, as well as “war veterans” and ZANU-PF officials. Endemic corruption within the ruling elite has led to a situation of acute economic disparity in which a few individuals have acquired vast wealth while the rest of the population continues to face increasingly severe deprivation. These individuals have exploited their political connections with government to access scarce commodities for export or for sale locally at exorbitant prices. The Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has asserted that the country lost an estimated US$1.7 billion per year “through economic sabotage perpetuated by a few” with the knowledge or complicity of government officials.9 He also alleged that diamonds worth over US$800 million have been smuggled out of the country, as has an average of 15 tonnes per year of gold worth over US$400million/year.10 For this wealthy elite to retain its wealth, it is imperative that the government continues to be controlled by those who support their interests, or at least turn a blind eye to their dealings. Amnesty International AI Index: AFR 46/028/2008