Posted on 02/10/2010 6:18:52 PM PST by vikingd00d
JOHANNESBURG -
Last week's issue of The Zimbabwean, which is edited from Britain, leads with a report on the possible exchange of Chinese weapons for illegally mined diamonds in Zimbabwe (see below).
If the information in this report is proved correct, it would indicate that the Mugabe regime is preparing a bloody coup to preserve itself in office, in defiance of its loss of the general election last year, its subsequent power-sharing deal with the Movement for Democratic Change, the Kimberley Process which regulates the global gem trade and a ruling of the High Court in Harare.
The report suggests that the Mugabe regime - believed to have been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of independent miners when it sent the army to seize the diamond fields at Chiadzwa in November 2008 - intends to exchange "blood diamonds" for weapons from China . The report indicates that a runway suitable for this kind of traffic has already been constructed in the diamond fields and is almost ready for use.
If the report is proved correct, it would indicate a qualitative escalation of Chinese intervention in Africa .
Armament of a resurgent Mugabe dictatorship by China , in defiance of the power-sharing agreement, would represent the initiation of a new Cold War in Africa , at a time when the United States and Britain are tied down in Afghanistan and Iraq , and handicapped by a massive sovereign debt crisis.
Such a development would have immediate and immensely grave implications for South Africa , and would represent a military-political destabilisation of the entire region.
Construction of a mile-long runway at Chiadzwa would further present a direct challenge to COSATU, which organised a boycott by dockers in South Africa three years ago of Chinese arms shipments to Mugabe. - Paul Trewhela
we could hope
That would be a good thing.
Life can’t get much worse for the Rhodesians, but if thugabe died screaming in pain, it would most likely get better.
Actually Mugabe is buying Chinese arms with the illegal diamonds to stay in power.
I assume you didn’t read the article. :) Mugabe is the one planning the coup to get out of the power-sharing agreement.
Actually, no I didn’t. I was just being hopeful.
Oh well. Maybe he’ll still get a bullet to the guts by one of his loyal guards and end up crying his life away.
He hasn’t shared any power yet as far as I know.
heh.
That was all pretend.
I guess I’m kind of old, but every time I see or hear the word, Zimbabwe, I get the words to that Stevie Wonder song celebrating Zimbabwe’s liberation from the evil whiteys going round in my head. Sing it with me, “Peace Has Come To Zimbabwe.....” remember that one? Where’s Stevie now on that one I wonder.
I guess since the Chinese are not technically “whitey” it is okay for Mugabe to hand the country over to them.
Since the Chinese are “Commie” it is okay for Mugabe to hand the country over to them
Not good news. However, I wonder if it would really mean much of a conflict at all. Obama is 100% on the side of every leftist thug dictator in Africa, so it's hard to see that this would be much of a problem for us.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.