Can Zimbabwe crisis be solved?

Zimbabwe, like many other countries in a similar situation, has the chance of only being extensively in the media reports. For politicians, it isn’t an urgent matter as the regime there is a threat only to its people and not to the interests of other countries. Zimbabwe doesn’t have huge reserves of oil. It doesn’t have nuclear weapons or on the way to developing them.

It’s unlikely that there will be a military intervention in this country. Countries have seen worse situations and it took a long time to send peace mission there. There are the example of Liberia and Sierra Leone that witnessed human atrocities of big magnitude like limb amputations. Comparatively, in Zimbabwe there are just harsh beatings of the opposition supporters leading to crack in their heads or severe bruises on their bodies.

The economic sanctions are useless in a country having inflation currently at 120,000%. Mugabe in defiance of the international community has also banned international aid to his country.

Quiet diplomacy can work if there are solid grounds of negotiations between Mugabe clan and the opposition. Mugabe accuses the opposition of being supported by the imperialists, mainly UK. Maybe UK should step aside when it comes to international mediation not to give excuses for Mugabe not to agree on a face-saving solution to the current crisis. Maybe solutions should be found only through African mediations as African leaders know each other better through the way they run their countries. The majority of them have as a common denominator the monopoly of power by whatever means. Some excel in doing this by keeping their countries at least stable.

The arrest of Mugabe is unlikely as he has the military behind him. Arresting him will amount to a massive military operation. Mugabe can fear prosecution if he loses power after the elections on June 27th. Instead he should be guaranteed immunity as a way to end the current deadlock.

Zimbabwe needn’t eat out itself further more. Zimbabweans needn’t continue living in further humiliations through repression at home and xenophobia in South Africa. Zimbabwe still has the chance to rise again from its current crisis if only all its major political players can work out practical solutions to live side by side instead of seeking ways to put a deadly end to each other.