Zimbabwe

While Saint Norm of Geras connects a report on cholera in Zimbabwe:

Police in Zimbabwe fired teargas and used water cannon to break up an opposition rally yesterday as it was confirmed that three people had died in a cholera outbreak caused by water contamination in the country's increasingly chaotic towns and cities.

and reports of desertions from the Zimbabwe police and military:

'There are Awol notices up in the barracks, our reporter saw them,' said Bill Saidi, editor of the Standard newspaper. 'Discontent is very high up to mid-level officers. They do not earn enough to buy basic groceries. They are suffering the hardships all of us suffer now, yet they are the ones Mugabe depends upon to be ruthless in putting down any opposition. It adds up to trouble for Mugabe.'

Tim Worstall points to a Telegraph piece that informs us:

Zimbabwe may gain the vice-presidency of the World Food Programme (WFP) — despite the collapse of its own agricultural sector.

All seven African countries presently on the WFP's 36-strong executive board are believed to support the bid of Robert Mugabe's regime.

If successful, Zimbabwe will be in line to become the president of the world's largest supplier of humanitarian aid next year.

Presumably, some degree of control over food aid would allow Mugabe to regain his grip on the country's enforcers, the police and armed services. That will lead to more of this:



And why do the African leaders support Mugabe? Because they place post-colonial solidarity above human rights and the rule of law. And as I keep saying, until this changes and a new generation of African leaders emerges, Africa has no hope of salvation.