Meanwhile, Further Down The Slope

Well, let's move along from Venezuela and the news that (T)Hugo Chavez is taking that country down into a dictatorship and look at one that is even further along the descending path into total chaos. That would be the nightmare of Zimbabwe. British Ministry of Defense officials are actively reviewing plans to evacuate 22,000 British citizens from that hellhole before it hits bottom.

British military commanders are reviewing contingency plans for the evacuation of up to 22,000 Britons from Zimbabwe after months of rising violence and food shortages.

The Ministry of Defence has been asked to look urgently at what logistical help it could provide amid “real concerns” in Whitehall about Zimbabwe’s slide into chaos.

Diplomatic sources said that the review was focusing on a “civil contingency plan”, which included seeking help from neighbouring countries. There is no plan to send in troops. “Military evacuation from a third country would only be used as a last resort,” one source said.

Under existing plans, Britons would be advised to take routes out of Zimbabwe into South Africa and to head for a former military base at Artonvilla in Limpopo province. The MoD has been asked to consider whether it could help in the airlift of Britons from the region. The diplomatic sources said that if the MoD were unable to do so, chartered commercial aircraft would fly the evacuees to Britain.

Unfortunately, the dire circumstances of the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe appear not to have shaken African support for the man who has singlehandedly wrecked that country's economy and productivity.

LUSAKA (AFP) - Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe was given a hero's welcome Thursday at the opening of a southern African summit set to be dominated by international concerns over his country's meltdown.

The embattled octogenarian leader received thunderous applause as he walked into the summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) — in stark contrast to polite claps reserved for other heads of state.

In his welcome address before the meeting went into a closed door session, the summit host, Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, told delegates to be "mindful" of the difficulties Zimbabweans faced.

The incoming SADC chairman, who had previously likened Zimbabwe to a "sinking Titanic", also urged Zimbabweans "to retain unity and safeguard your hard-won independence."

"My advice to my brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe is: maintain peace and stability at all costs.

"In the meantime, SADC is there for you. This organisation is always ready to assist where it can to resolve the problems affecting member countries."

The 14-member regional bloc is under renewed pressure to seek a resolution to Zimbabwe's woes, characterised by an inflation rate exceeding 5,000 percent, four in every five people jobless and 80 percent living under the poverty line.

I guess I missed something here. What in the heck were they applauding? Starvation? Lawlessness? Ruined economy? Britain is actively planning a rescue mission for its citizens and other nations in the region are applauding the "genius" who wrecked what was once the breadbasket of Africa.

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  By Bleepless, Thursday, 16 August , 2007 @ 8:24 pm

  Nothing new here. When Idi Amin showed up at a meeting of Organization of African Unity heads of state, he got a standing ovation. These are the vermin Washington keeps coddling.

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  By Mwalimu Daudi, Thursday, 16 August , 2007 @ 9:45 pm

  I spent six years living and working in Tanzania, a country in east Africa. One African Christian evangelist that I met while living there summed up my feeling perfectly about Robert Mugabe and most African leaders when he stated that Africa is a continent full of King Herod types: opulent, corrupt, and with a streak of pure genocidal fury when aroused or threatened. Mugabe is the archetype African dictator.

  Fortunately, African tyrants can be deposed. Some recent examples are Hastings Kamuzu Banda of Malawi and Daniel arap-Moi of Kenya. Both countries now have leaders that are an improvement – even if only slightly. So Mugabe’s days may be numbered.

  BTW: Have you ever read the book “Out of America” by Keith B. Richburg? The author spent time in Somalia, Kenya, South Africa and Rwanda back in the early 1990s. Richburg is scathing in his criticism of African tyrants – and their enablers in this country.

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  By Gaius, Thursday, 16 August , 2007 @ 9:57 pm

  Mwalimu,

  I have not read it, sorry.

  Just to let you know, though, I have to rescue every one of your comments out of the spam filters. I have no idea why, but everything you send gets caught. (It is possible that you have a dynamic IP address that once caused problems and is banned by the software.)

  Just letting you know in case I ever delete one inadvertently. (On a really bad day I sometimes dump the entire queue without checking.)

Other Links to this Post

1. Blue Crab Boulevard » Zimbabwe Collapsing — Wednesday, 22 August , 2007 @ 9:35 pm