Print this Email this

A Joint Appeal to African Leaders to address the human rights situation in Zimbabwe

17 November 2005, 09:39AM

Through the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) African Heads of State and Government have made a commitment to human rights and accountability in Africa. We are calling on African leaders to honour these commitments and end their long silence on human rights violations in Zimbabwe.

Today in Zimbabwe, hundreds of thousands of people are internally displaced and destitute, not because of a war, an earthquake or a tsunami, but because their own government has forcibly evicted them, demolished their homes, and destroyed their property and their livelihoods. These acts, totally unjustifiable under international law, have been widely condemned. However, African States have remained conspicuously silent and have not demonstrated the political will to respond to the human rights crisis in Zimbabwe.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Kofi Annan, has described Zimbabwe's mass evictions as "a catastrophic injustice...carried out with disquieting indifference to human suffering".

UN Special Envoy on Human Settlement Issues, Anna Tibaijuka, has reported that the government's Operation Murambatsvina directly affected 700,000 people, indirectly affected at least a further 2 million people and "has precipitated a humanitarian crisis of immense proportions".

Human rights are being further violated in the context of the humanitarian crisis. There is considerable evidence that the Government of Zimbabwe is unable or unwilling to ensure that those affected have access, at the very least, to minimum essential levels of food, water, shelter and medical care. It is denying victims the humanitarian help they so desperately need:

  • Thousands of people, including children, the ill and the elderly, are facing the rainy season with little or no shelter. The government is not providing basic shelter for those in need, and it is blocking the UN and churches from doing so; police have forced destitute people from churches at night.
  • More than four million people need food aid, but the government is limiting food aid distribution, having also blocked a UN appeal for humanitarian aid and forced tens of thousands to return to rural areas where food security is already low.
  • Tens of thousands need clean water and sanitation, but the government is restricting the work of aid agencies that are trying to assist.
  • Despite the already grave humanitarian and internal displacement crisis the government has continued to evict people; some families have been forcibly evicted and moved several times in the past few months.

Zimbabwe's consistent failure to respect human rights has been well documented, including in reports published in 2005 by the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) and the UN Special Envoy on Human Settlement Issues. In the face of such clear, well-documented and large-scale violations, member States of the AU and UN have a duty to ensure that the recommendations of such regional and international problem-solving mechanisms are implemented in order to address the present deprivation of African citizens and deter such harmful practices in the future.

The silence of African States in the face of the grave suffering caused by forced evictions, in Zimbabwe and elsewhere on the continent, has created the regrettable impression of tacit approval of forced evictions as a policy option.

Today, we call on African States, individually and in their capacity as members of the AU, to:

  • Publicly express concern about the deteriorating human rights situation in Zimbabwe, including the human rights violations that have been a direct consequence of Operation Murambatsvina; Publicly encourage and offer support to the Government of Zimbabwe to implement the recommendations contained in the reports of the ACHPR and the UN Special Envoy on Human Settlement Issues, as a matter of urgency;
  • Place the human rights and humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe on the agenda of the AU January 2006 Assembly of Heads of State and Government;
  • Condemn the refusal of the Government of Zimbabwe to cooperate with the Special Envoy of the African Union Commission when he visited Zimbabwe in July 2005 and insist that he be allowed to return to Zimbabwe, fulfil his mandate and report to the AU on the situation of internally displaced people in Zimbabwe;
  • Call for the immediate lifting of all unnecessary restrictions on the provision of humanitarian assistance, including restrictions on the provision of temporary shelter.
  • Call for the provision of effective remedies for the victims of the mass evictions and demolitions and all other human rights violations, including access to justice, reparations, guarantees of non-repetition, compensation and restitution where possible;
  • Call for an end to impunity for perpetrators of human rights violations in Zimbabwe and for those responsible to be brought to justice;
  • Pledge to seek alternatives to forced eviction in their own jurisdiction.

We also call on African States as members of the UN to:

  • Give full support to the UN initiatives aimed at addressing the human rights and humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe and to put pressure on the government to allow independent human rights monitoring in Zimbabwe, including UN Special Rapporteurs.
  • In particular, we call on African members of the UN Security Council (Algeria, Benin and Tanzania) and those States that will become members in January 2006 (Ghana and Republic of the Congo) to allow the Security Council to be regularly informed on the situation in Zimbabwe, including the situation in respect of the UN's humanitarian access to displaced and vulnerable people.

Supporting organizations:

  • ANGOLA

    • Associacao Justica, Paze Democracia (AJPD)

  • BOTSWANA

    • Amnesty International - Botswana
    • Ditshwanelo (The Botswana Centre for Human Rights)
    • Women in Law in Southern Africa - Botswana

  • DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC)

    • Association Africaine de défense des Droits de l'Homme (ASADHO)
    • Collectif des Jeunes du Sud-Kivu (COJESKI)
    • Comité Droits de l'Homme Maintenant
    • Fondation Bill Clinton
    • La Voix des Sans Voix
    • Ligue des Electeurs
    • Mouvement des jeunes et Etudiants pour la Patrie
    • Observatoire Congolais des Droits de l'Homme (OCDH)
    • Réseau Provincial de Dfense des Droits Humains-Kin (REPRODHOC)
    • SADC-Youth Movement
    • Toges Noires

  • EGYPT

    • Afro- Asian Peoples' Solidarity Organisation (AAPSO)
    • The Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights

  • ETHIOPIA

    • Initiative Africa (IA)

  • ERITREA

    • Human Rights Concern

  • GHANA

    • African Women Lawyers Association
    • Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (Africa)
    • Media Foundation for West Africa
    • People's Dialogue for Human Settlements
    • The Arc Foundation

  • KENYA

    • Amnesty International - Kenya
    • Association of Media Women in Kenya
    • Basic Rights
    • Citizens Coalition for Constitutional Change
    • Hakijimii Trust
    • Independent Medical Legal Unit
    • FIDA Kenya
    • Kenya Medical Association Human Rights Committee
    • Kisumu Urban Apostolate Programmes - Pandipieri
    • Men to Men
    • Men for Gender Equality
    • OIKEDOME
    • People Against Torture
    • Release Political Prisoners Group
    • Social Reform Centre
    • Umande Trust
    • Young Women Leadership Institute

  • LESOTHO

    • Federation of Women Lawyers
    • Gender and Media Southern Africa (GEMSA)
    • Lesotho Closthing and Allied Workers Union
    • Lesotho Council of Non-Governmental Organisations
    • Lesotho Durham Link
    • Lesotho Society for mentally Handicapped Persons
    • Lesotho Youth Federation
    • Media Institute of Southern Africa - Lesotho
    • NGO Coalition on the Rights of the Children
    • Women in Law in Southern Africa - Lesotho
    • Young Women Christian Association

  • LIBERIA

    • Amnesty International - Liberia

  • MALAWI

    • Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR)
    • Civil Liberties Committee
    • Institute of Policy Interaction (IPI)
    • National Media Institute of Southern Africa (NAMISA)
    • Women in Law in Southern Africa - Malawi

  • MOZAMBIQUE

    • Women in Law in Southern Africa - Mozambique

  • NAMIBIA

    • Association for Children with Language, Speech & Hearing Impairments (ClaSH) of Namibia
    • Big Issue Namibia
    • Clement Daniels Legal Practitioners
    • Katutura Community Radio 106.2 FM
    • Legal Assistance Centre of Namibia
    • Namibia Development Trust
    • Namibia NGO Forum
    • !Nara Training Centre
    • National Society for Human Rights (NSHR)
    • People's Education, Assistance and Counselling for Empowerment (PEACE) Centre
    • Sister Namibia
    • The Rainbow Project
    • Women Leadership Centre of Namibia

  • NIGERIA

    • Civil Resources Development & Documentation Centre (CIRRDOC)
    • Concerned Professionals (CP)
    • Gender Development Action (GADA)
    • Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP)
    • Prisoners Rehabilitation & Welfare Action (PRAWA)
    • Projekthope
    • Women Advocates Research & Documentation Centre (WARDC)

  • SENEGAL

    • Amnesty International - Senegal
    • Convergence Africaine pour la Democratie et les Droits Humanins (CADDU)

  • SOMALIA

    • Justice Watch Association (JUWA)
    • National Union of Somali Journalists
    • SADO
    • Somali Human Rights Defenders Network

  • SOMALILAND

    • Samotalis Coalition for Human Rights
    • Somaliland National Human Rights Network

  • SOUTH AFRICA

    • Action Support Centre
    • Action Support Centre and Coalition for Peace in Africa (COPA)
    • Amnesty International - South Africa (AISA)
    • Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa (ACT-Southern Africa)
    • Association for Community and Rural Advancement (AnCRA)
    • Association of Rural Advancement (AFRA)
    • Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)
    • Centre for Rural Legal Studies (CRLS)
    • Coalition for Peace in Africa
    • Community Law Centre
    • Crisis Coalition Zimbabwe
    • Eastern Cape Agricultural Research Programme (ECARP)
    • Free State Rural Development Association
    • Heal Zimbabwe Trust
    • Karoo Centre for Human Rights
    • Land Access Movement of South Africa
    • Land for Peace
    • Lawyers for Human Rights - Stellenbosch Office
    • Legal Assistance Centre
    • National Land Committee (NLC)
    • Nkunzi Development Association
    • Peace and Democracy Project
    • Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) - University of Western Cape
    • Rural Legal Trust (RLT)
    • South Africa National NGO Coalition (SANGOCO)
    • Support Centre - ACTION for Conflict Transformation
    • Southern Cape Land Committee
    • Solidarity Peace Trust (SPT)
    • Southern African Women's Institute of Migration Affairs
    • Southern Africa Litigation Centre
    • TRAC Mupumalanga
    • Transkei Land Services Organisation
    • Treatment Action Campaign
    • Women on Farm Project
    • Zimbabwe Action Support Group
    • Zimbabwe Advocacy Campaign (ZAC)
    • Zimbabwe Exiles Forum
    • Zimbabwe Human Rights Lobby Group
    • Zimbabwe Political Victims Association (ZIPOVA)
    • Zimbabwe Torture Victims Project (ZTVP)

  • SUDAN

    • SIHA Network

  • SWAZILAND

    • Coordinating Assembly of NGOs (CANGO)
    • Women in Law in Southen Africa - Swaziland

  • TANZANIA

    • BEB Rural Development Option
    • Grassroot Initiative Support Trust
    • Media Institute of Southern Africa - Tanzania
    • Same Network of NGO/CBOs
    • Tabora Development Foundation Trust
    • Tabora Development Society
    • Tanzania Christian Farm Development Trust

  • ZAMBIA

    • Anti Voters Apathy (AVAP)
    • Catholic Centre for Justice Development and Peace (CCJDP)
    • Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace
    • Children in Need (CHIN)
    • Foundation for Democratic Progress (FODEP)
    • Justice for Widow and Orphans
    • Legal Resources Foundation (LRF)
    • Southern African Centre for Conflict Resolution and Disputes
    • Women in Law in Southern Africa - Zambia
    • Women for Change
    • Zambia Association for Research and Development (ZARD)
    • Zambia Civic Education Association

  • ZIMBABWE

    • Counselling Services Unit
    • Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ)
    • Human Rights Trust of Southern Africa (SAHRIT)
    • Legal Resources Foundation (LRF)
    • Media Institute of Southern Africa
    • Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe
    • Nonviolent Action and Strategies for Social Change
    • Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ)
    • University of Zimbabwe Legal Aid and Advice Scheme
    • Women in Law in Southern Africa - Zimbabwe
    • Women of Zimbabwe Arize (WOZA)
    • Zimbabwe Association for Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation (ZACRO)
    • Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights
    • Zimbabwe Civic Education Trust (ZIMCET)
    • Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights)
    • Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
    • Zimbabwe Peace Project

  • INTERNATIONAL

    • Amnesty International
    • Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE)
    • Catholic Institute for International Relations (CIIR)
    • CIVICUS - World Alliance for Citizen Participation
    • Cordaid
    • FIAN International
    • Habitat International Coalition Housing and Land Rights Network
    • Human Rights Watch (HRW)
    • International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute
    • Network for Social Justice (FAHAMU)
    • Trocaire

  • Endorsed by NGOs in Asia, Europe and Americas

    • Amnesty International 閖 India
    • A'idun Group
    • Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem (ARIJ)
    • Arcilla Research
    • Asociación Agenda Mujeres, Lima-Perú
    • Asociación de la Vivienda Económica (AVE)
    • Asia Pacific Socio-Economic Research Institute
    • Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law & Development (APWLD)

    • Make an impact

    You can make a difference right now. Your action will help to shine the light of hope into people's lives across the world.

    You can make a difference right now. Your action will help shine the light of hope into people's lives across the world.

    Check out what 4881 people are doing right now to support human rights.

    Act now

    Stay Informed

    Sign up for email updates

    Get Involved

    Two Columbian boys smiling and holding their arms out with their thumbs up - a sign of hope

    Amnesty International relies on your support to continue our vital work protecting human rights. Please help us keep governments accountable, bring the guilty to justice, and save lives.

    Donate