Nigeria and South Africa’s silence on the prevailing political crisis in Zimbabwe is causing deep concerns among western leaders, especially in the US and UK, US-based Nigerian news agency, Empowered Newswire has reported.

Both the US and the UK governments are at the forefront of international clamour against President Robert Mugabe sitting tight in office after the country’s opposition seems to have snatched victory in the recent parliamentary election.

But the two western countries are said to be deeply disappointed that Nigeria and South Africa have maintained silence on the issue.

Repeatedly, the western government is asking African leaders, with particular eye on Nigeria and South Africa, sources say, to speak up against Mugabe because both countries are considered leaders in Africa.

For instance recently at the United Nations Security Council special session convened on April 16 by South Africa to discuss African issues, both Nigeria and South Africa spoke without saying a word on Zimbabwe.

In his speech at the special UN Security Council Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Ojo Maduekwe, was silent on Zimbabwe, but spoke on the need for a “functional relationship” between the United Nations and the African Union as rooted in Chapter VIII of the UN Charter and the Constitutive Act of the African Union.

Ojo said regional organisations such as the African Union, for instance, had insider knowledge regarding local conditions and were uniquely placed to tackle threats to regional peace and security.

Nigeria recognised the complementarities between different regional organisations, viewing them as critical to global efforts to preserve peace and security in Africa — a place often described as the breeding ground of conflict.

Meanwhile, representatives of Zimbabwe’s presidential candidates are set to meet the electoral commission to review the results of the disputed election.

Officials said the results, which are not yet published more than four weeks after the vote, would be announced once they agreed on the final figures.

Movement for Democratic Change leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has said he beat President Robert Mugabe outright.

The MDC said 15 of its supporters had been killed in post-election violence.

More than 200 of its activists were arrested during a police raid on its Harare headquarters on Friday.

MDC lawyers said they had been denied access to them and had filed an urgent High Court appeal for them to be freed.

“They have been detained while police are trying to find suitable charges against them,” MDC lawyer Alec Muchadehama, told the Agence France Presse news agency on Monday.

The police said they were looking for suspects involved in political violence but the MDC said those arrested had fled their homes after attacks by ruling party supporters.

On Sunday, a senior UN official urged both to renounce the use of violence.

Human rights commissioner, Louise Arbour, said she was very concerned by reports of political violence and intimidation in the aftermath of last month’s elections, particularly by rural supporters of the governing Zanu-PF party.

The top US envoy to Africa, Jendayi Frazer, has said Washington is willing to seek UN sanctions against Zimbabwe if the post-election crisis continued.

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20080429454578

yara-ill is sick with Churg Strauss Syndrome -a rare disease that features inflammation of blood vessels (also referred to as angiitis) in the lungs, skin, nerves, and abdomen.

He has enough to deal with.

It is a big shame that African leaders prefer to look the other way when any of them is misbehaving instead of speaking up. A shame that they always prefer the people to suffer and scatter all over the place as refuges even when some actions from them would have saved the people a lot of trauma.

Zimbabwe does not have Oil, so the US and UK want African leaders to mediate.

Why didn't they leave ASIAN leaders to mediate in IRAQ. 

Besides, we have helped other countries like , Liberia, S-Leone, and even South-Africa in the past. What do we get in return?  Nothing.

We have over 140million problems to deal with,

There are many problems to settle in naija for now, Zims are matured enough to settle their own problem

Perhaps the foreign Ministers of both Soth Africa and Nigeria are silent because they understand that a lot of the problems in Zimbabwe have been orchestrated by the West, simply because Mugabe's Land reforms did not favour the white settlers.

If the West was so concerned about Africa, why have they remained silent on Darfur?

We should learn not to be taken in by the properganda of the Western press-things are not always the way they seem.

While I fully agree with all that have been said so far, let us not forget that the ordinary Zimbabwean is facing a lot of hardship. Inflation, presently, is over 100,000% (I have never heard of this before in any country). Nigeria has many problems to grapple with but let the our leaders just say it loud and clear that they belong to the side of the people. How can elections be held and for about four weeks the results remained un-announced and the representatives of the president are planning to meet with the electoral agency people to review the results before announcement. That's weird!!

Our leaders who were freely elected by us?? I think what is going on is guilt here. I think the Zimbabweans are alone in this and it is up to them to decide if they are done with 100,000 percentage inflation or not.

at this point, u have to wonder why the AU hasn't sanctioned or kicked zimbabwe out. oh wait, he is a freedom fighter. i doubt nigeria can criticize zimbabwe when nigeria hasn't held free and fair elections either.

Which one be their own?

yara-ill is sick with Churg Strauss Syndrome -a rare disease that features inflammation of blood vessels (also referred to as angiitis) in the lungs, skin, nerves, and abdomen.

He has enough to deal with

hisssssssssssssssssss, nonsense.

It is a big shame that African leaders prefer to look the other way when any of them is misbehaving instead of speaking up. A shame that they always prefer the people to suffer and scatter all over the place as refuges even when some actions from them would have saved the people a lot of trauma.

It is a big shame you're doing nothing to help your own counrty. Don't be .

Who told you Nigeria does nothing to help its neighbours. Have you checked on the Darfur issue and see that Nigerian soldiers are getting killed there.
No, you're here to open mouth and criticise. Nonsense.

Why aren't the US and UK doing something? Aren't they big and mighty? Aren't the ones who come to the aid of everyone?
They won't do jack because they don't have interest in it. Open your eyes.

They're asking us to fix a problem that they caused. Look how they're dealing with Iraq. They put Saddam Hussein in office, when he stopped doing what they liked they labeled him a terrorist and invaded under false pretenses.
The weapons of mass destruction don't exist, so why the war?

we helped in South Africa, what we got back in return was the imposition of severe travel restrictions on Nigerians.
Let Zimbabwe help themselves.

we helped in South Africa, what we got back in return was the imposition of severe travel restrictions on Nigerians.

Simply because our leaders did not attach conditions to the help. we should think like the WEST.

we already lost out in Zim. we should have helped with our-clever-worded conditions.

the west would be back in full swiing once MDC is back in power, enjoying again the juicy part of Zim.

there's nothing juicy about zimbabwe.

landis:



Simply because our leaders did not attach conditions to the help. we should think like the WEST.

we already lost out in Zim. we should have helped with our-clever-worded conditions.

the west would be back in full swiing once MDC is back in power, enjoying again the juicy part of Zim.

What do you believe it is the west wants or used to enjoy in Zimbabwe?? Quiz for you, can you please give us an answer and not some more rants??

thats the diff btw baba and yar adua, while baba is a busy body, yar adua is more concerned abt home sucurity.think its good by me.

~Lady~:

No, you're here to open mouth and criticise. Nonsense.

Quite un-ladylike statement. You could have put your views across without insulting anyone.

What you have failed to realise is that a word from Nigeria means a lot. Nobody is advocating that Nigeria should send money/food/materials/troops to Zimbabwe. All we are saying is that Nigeria should condemn a situation where elections are held and the results are not released weeks after the election.
It is better to speak up now rather than wait till the situation degenerates to a Darfur-like situation and we begin to send troops there for peace keeping. Speaking up is definitely less expensive to Nigeria in terms of money and lives of our military men.

So UK/U.S.A has forgotten that Nigerian government rigged themselve into power and sitting pretty on illegal mandate? What do they expect them to say to Mugabe, when Mugabe's election makes Nigerian one looks like it was conducted by angels?

If you want to lose weight, the last person you will be taking advise from will be a chocolate maker or a fat man.

there's nothing juicy about zimbabwe.

indeed.

What do you believe it is the west wants or used to enjoy in Zimbabwe?? Quiz for you, can you please give us an answer and not some more rants??

if you dont know. Go back and read more about Zim.

landis:



indeed.

if you don't know. Go back and read more about Zim.

It is a straight question. Telling me to go read is telling me you are just making things up just so you can spew your own rhetoric when this is really no occassion for such.

If them Zim will agree to my terms and condition, i will sort them out in a couple of months.
Nuffin is IMPOSSIBLE.

US/UK ma Ass, Brown is sailing on troubled waters now, his days seemed to be numbered now so he is trying hard to fix his own back yard first. As for Bush nobody believes him after the Iraq debacle, he looks more like an O-yes member moreover no crude in Zim.

Other African Leaders speaking up will be a case of KETTLES CALLING THE POT BLACK.

Do you know any african head of state or president who was/will be willing to leave office because the citizens are suffering?

who should be worried and why? when morgan tsvangirai came to naija, who did he go to see? BaBa of Africa.he didnt even bother to say whtsup to yar adua or goodluck in yaradua's absence.what breach of protocol, and then we want superted yar adua to pretend he wasnt angry and cause an abracadabra to happen while BaBa continues to smile to himself at ota.no not practicable.

Wetin concern agbero concern overload? Nigeria has enough trouble as it is, hence, taking another country's trouble upon her frail shoulders will be too much. Plus, the way other African countries treat Nigerians is not encouraging, so why poke our nose in their wahala?