The New York Times and other media outlets are reporting that Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is openly boycotting cabinet meetings as a means of protesting President Robert Mugabe’s party. NYT characterizes this as the “biggest breach yet in the new transitional government.”

More details below, read the full report here:

The catalyst for this step was the jailing Wednesday of Roy Bennett, Mr. Tsvangirai’s deputy agriculture minister-designate, a white farmer who is scheduled to stand trial Monday on three-year-old terrorism charges that his party, the Movement for Democratic Change, says are fabricated. But even after Mr. Bennett was grantedbail Friday after the news conference, officials in his party said their decision to disengage did not change.

“This is the time for us to say enough is enough,” said Thabitha Khumalo, a spokeswoman for the M.D.C.

Mr. Tsvangirai laid out a broad array of grievances. He accused Mr. Mugabe’s party, ZANU-PF, of selectively using the law as a weapon to punish his parliamentarians, putting 16,000 of its youth militia on the government payroll, and remilitarizing the countryside on bases used in last year’s discredited election to organize a campaign of terror against his supporters.

While he stopped short of quitting the government, Mr. Tsvangirai warned that if the crisis were not resolved and a working relationship restored he would call for United Nations-supervised elections.

Today President Obama hosted Zimbabwe Prime Minister Tsvangirai at the White House to discuss the countries’ affairs. According to Politico magazine, during the meeting Obama pledged $73 million in assistance and said:

There was a time when Zimbabwe was the breadbasket of Africa and continues to have enormous potential. It has gone through a very dark and difficult period politically… President Mugabe—I think I’ve made my views clear—has often times not acted in the best interests of the Zimbabwean people and has been resistant to the kinds of democratic changes that need to take place. We now have a power-sharing agreement that shows promise.

-Chris Scott

The New York Times is reporting that Zimbabwe’s opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has decided to join a power-sharing government as prime minister with President Robert Mugabe. This decision was reached unanimously at a meeting of the opposition party’s leadership in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare. The Times reports that it will “usher in a new phase in the opposition’s decade-long struggle against Mr. Mugabe, 84, and his almost 30-year grip on power.” We’ll bring you any further developments as they occur.

Excerpts from the breaking news below, full report here

Mr. Tsvangirai now faces the daunting job of reviving Zimbabwe’s moribund economy and rescuing an increasingly famished, sick and impoverished population with a partner, Mr. Mugabe, whose security forces have viciously beaten Mr. Tsvangirai and thousands of his supporters over the past two years and abducted and allegedly tortured dozens more in just the last few months.

But after more than four months of deadlock and uncertainty following Mr. Tsvangirai’s signing of the power-sharing deal with Mr. Mugabe, his followers reacted with hope that he might be able to stop the country’s accelerating downward spiral.

The challenges are monumental, and the distrust of Mr. Mugabe is so deep that it is uncertain whether the United States and European nations will lift sanctions and infuse substantial new aid for the reconstruction of Zimbabwe until they have solid evidence that he will agree to sweeping changes in the country’s disastrous economic policies, the restoration of the rule of law and democracy.

-Chris Scott

• Uncertainty remains over the future of power-sharing negotiations after the opposition said it would not accept the outcome of last weekend’s regional summit.
• Zimbabwe will present its annual budget this week, which analysts expect to contain desperate measures in the wake of economic collapse amid political crisis.
• Cholera deaths in Zimbabwe have climbed above 3000 as the disease now spreads to rural areas.
• Anti-apartheid activist Kumi is going on a hunger strike to pressure the South African government to demand faster political change in Zimbabwe and urge African leaders to isolate the country’s president, Robert Mugabe.
• The European Union has tightened its sanctions against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, EU officials have said. More than 60 individuals and firms with links to Mr Mugabe have been added to a list of those banned from travelling to the EU or doing business there.
• The Center for Global Development authors a memo to President Obama outlining what the new administration can do to restore democracy in Zimbabwe.
• Most schools in Zimbabwe stayed closed yesterday on the first day of term, presaging a second year in a row of almost no education for the country’s children.
• President Obama wants a fresh approach to toppling Robert Mugabe and is discussing with aides an unprecedented, US-led diplomatic push to get tough new UN sanctions imposed against the Zimbabwe regime, The Times has learned. During talks Mr Obama has had with his top Africa advisers in recent weeks, the central idea they focused on was taking the issue of Zimbabwe before the UN Security Council, but for the first time to combine such a move with an intense diplomatic effort to persuade Russia and China not to block the initiative.

-Chris Scott

As we continue to monitor the situation in Zimbabwe, there are a couple developments today worth noting:

Word has come that South Africa will host a regional summit on Zimbabwe. This announcement follows a failure in talks between President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on forming a power-sharing government.

“The summit of heads of state and government is expected to be attended by all (Southern African Development Community) member states,” the South African Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Zimbabwe is a member of SADC and the statement said the MDC was also expected to attend the summit.

South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, Mozambique’s President Armando Guebuza and Thabo Mbeki, SADC mediator and former South African president, met the two Zimbabwean sides in Harare last Monday but no agreement was reached.

A unity government is seen as the best chance of preventing total collapse in once prosperous Zimbabwe, where prices double every day and more than 2,000 people have died in a cholera epidemic.

Last week the Executive Director of UNICEF Anne M. Veneman visited Zimbabwe to meet with Mugabe and other key stakeholders The discussions “underscored the humanitarian impact on women and children.”

“The cholera outbreak is the tip of the iceberg,” said Veneman, the first head of a UN agency to visit the country in three years. “The economy in Zimbabwe is crumbling, with the highest inflation rate in the world at 231 million percent. Over half the population is receiving food aid, health centers have closed and when the school term starts there is no guarantee that there will be enough teachers.”

The Executive Director visited a cholera treatment clinic and a care center that is part of a UNICEF supported program that helps 250,000 orphans and vulnerable children.

-Chris Scott

Today as Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe continued to downplay the cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe, claiming that the outbreak was caused by “Western germ warfare”, the UN reports that the cholera death toll has risen 25% in three days.

Excerpts below:

The U.N. humanitarian office says the total number of suspected cases reported in the southern African country has risen to 18,413 since the start of the outbreak in August.

The figures reported Monday by the World Health Organizations were up from the 792 deaths and 16,700 cases reported Friday. The World Health Organization has said the total number of cases could reach 60,000 unless the epidemic is stopped.

You can read more about the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe here.

-Chris Scott

This week we’ve been keeping you posted about the crisis situation in Zimbabwe and mounting international pressure on President Robert Mugabe to step down. Despite a staggering cholera epidemic sweeping Zimbabwe, Mugabe continues to deny the magnitude of the epidemic, adding further chaos to the growing crisis. Today the New York Times published a fascinating and insightful piece on where things currently stand.

Excerpts below, full piece here

The outbreak is yet more evidence that Zimbabwe’s most fundamental public services — from water and sanitation to public schools and hospitals — are shutting down, much like the organs of a severely dehydrated cholera victim.

Zimbabwe’s once promising economy, disastrously mismanaged by President Robert G. Mugabe’s government, has been spiraling downward for almost a decade, but residents here say the free fall has gained frightening velocity in recent weeks. Most of the nation’s schools, which were once the pride of Africa, producing a highly literate population, have virtually ceased to function as teachers, whose salaries no longer even cover the cost of the bus fare to work, quit showing up.

In a country that already lays claim to the terrible distinction of having the second highest proportion of orphans in the world — one in four children has lost one or both parents — the closure of schools and hospitals is hitting these most vulnerable children mercilessly.

-Chris Scott

This morning, President Bush lent his voice to a growing global call for Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe to step down. Bush’s statement followed similar demands made by the European Union and a call from UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown for the international community to defend human rights and democracy in Zimbabwe. This toughened rhetoric from Western leaders has been accompanied by a tightening of restrictions on the Zimbabwean government- last week the the US extended sanctions against four individuals and 20 companies who have been financially supporting Mugabe’s government.

This renewed pressure on Mugabe comes as evidence of the deteriorating situation inside Zimbabwe emerges– the country’s collapsed water and sanitation infrastructure has led to a cholera outbreak, which has already claimed the lives of nearly 600 and the World Health Organization warns might infect up to 6,000 in a worst-case scenario.> A lack of doctors, equipment and treatment (oral rehydration salts which cost as little as 50 cents per dose) means the fatality rate is much higher than usual. Aid agencies are estimating that cholera patients in Zimbabwe are ten times more likely to die than patients living elsewhere.

The outbreak is the latest update to a long list of evidence on how failed governance and gross economic mismanagement have destroyed what was once one of Africa’s most promising countries. In the years after independence, Zimbabwe was hailed as a regional breadbasket and boasted one of Africa’s highest literacy rates. Today, on top of skyrocketing inflation and an ongoing political crisis, Zimbabweans face acute food shortages and an education system in shambles: the World Food Program anticipates that half of Zimbabwe’s population (over 5 million people) will be in need of emergency food aid in January and as of October, students in Zimbabwe had only been in the classroom for a total of 23 uninterrupted days.

The question now is whether global outcry over the cholera epidemic is just the latest in a series of grievances against the Mugabe regime or the tipping point needed to inject new momentum towards a real and lasting solution. Importantly, increased pressure from Western governments has been echoed by some key African leaders- last week, Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga called for Mugabe’s removal and in November, the leader of South Africa’s African National Congress, Jacob Zuma, indicated a tougher stance towards the Zimbabwean government, saying the situation had moved beyond “wait and see”, and that “We have got to act and act now.” The fact that the epidemic is spilling over into neighboring countries could mean voices like these might become stronger in the days ahead.

These African voices are vital in moving toward a lasting solution for Zimbabwe. Although emergency aid could help ease the cholera epidemic and fill food shortages, Zimbabwe’s current plight is the product of a long-term socioeconomic demise that only the establishment of a functioning and inclusive government can resolve (as noted by the Elders last week after their visit to the region). Ultimately, such a solution will depend on Zimbabwe’s neighbors. Mugabe has weathered sanctions and pressure from the West for years. Now, as his country tips towards a breaking point, the onus is on African leaders to turn rhetoric into action and renew efforts towards ending the crisis. The rest of the world should be poised and ready so that once this happens, Zimbabwe has the support it needs to stand a real chance at winning back some of the development gains it lost after 28 years of Mugabe’s rule.

-Nora Coghlan

News just broke that President George W. Bush has formally called upon Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe to step down from his post, ratcheting up international pressure on Mugabe. We’ll keep you posted with further news and analysis about the situation as it develops.

Statement from President Bush:

As my Administration has made clear, it is time for Robert Mugabe to go. Across the continent, African voices are bravely speaking out to say now is the time for him to step down. These leaders share the desire of ordinary Zimbabweans for a return to peace, democracy and prosperity. We urge others from the region to step up and join the growing chorus of voices calling for an end to Mugabe’s tyranny.

-Chris Scott

NPR aired a fantastic piece this morning about the food crisis in Zimbabwe. You can check out the interactive feature at NPR.org, complete with photos and a stunning audio slideshow. Definitely recommended!

Excerpts below, full piece here:

The U.N. says that a little less than half of Zimbabwe’s population — about 5 million people — will need international food assistance by the end of the year, with talk of a full-scale humanitarian emergency. Lee says the World Food Program is feeding 4 million people this month alone, but that stocks will run out by year’s end.

“At the moment, we have no food supplies for distribution in January and February, just when the crisis is reaching its peak,” Lee says. “So we can get to enough people in Zimbabwe, we can provide them with sufficient assistance, but we need additional resources, and we need those additional resources now.”

President Robert Mugabe’s critics blame his land reform and redistribution policies for triggering the current food crisis and economic meltdown. Productive white-owned commercial farms in this region used to be part of the Zimbabwean miracle — the regional grain basket — until they were occupied by Mugabe allies, and many farmers and workers were driven from their lands.

-Chris Scott