African Union Security Council Has No Teeth

I often ask if the regional bodies have any power against Mugabe. And it is things like Mugabe being given a seat of the AU Peace and Security Council that makes a mockery of everything that the African Union allegedly stands for.

And I ask, is Mugabe's relentless hold on power not a quiet coup? Possibly the longest and quietest coup in history?

Does his party's grip on power not constitute the breaking of the law? What of the popular mandate? Do the people of Zimbabwe not have a voice in politics?

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"An African Union summit has given the organization more authority to act against unconstitutional changes of power. Coups and conflicts are dominating the summit agenda.

African leaders broadened the definition of "unconstitutional power change" and approved tougher measures to punish violators. The past couple of years have seen a rise in the number of coups and power grabs, raising fears of a return to the era of dictatorial rule.

African Union policy opposes power grabs in Africa, but loopholes have left the organization powerless in cases like Niger, where President Mamadou Tandja last year extended his mandate in a controversial referendum. As a result, while last year's coups in Madagascar and Guinea led to suspension from the organization, Niger remains a member in good standing."

Is Mugabe’s refusing to stand down not an “unconstitutional power change”? The Zimbabwean people chose one party, and found themselves still facing the horrendous rule of ZANU PF. Is this not a coup? Is this not the enforcement of one power for a democratically elected power of another?

What of Mugabe's remaining in power - albeit through dubious means? What of the manner in which he has utilised State organs to perpetrate crimes against humanity?

What of his refusal to bow to the popular mandate?

Is this not a coup? Wikipedia defines a coup as "the sudden unconstitutional deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment - typically the military - to replace the deposed government with another, either civil or military. A coup d’état succeeds when the usurpers establish their legitimacy if the attacked government fail to thwart them, by allowing their (strategic, tactical, political) consolidation and then receiving the deposed government’s surrender; or the acquiescence of the populace and the non-participant military forces.

Typically, a coup d’état uses the extant government’s power to assume political control of the country. In Coup d'État: A Practical Handbook, military historian Edward Luttwak says: "A coup consists of the infiltration of a small, but critical, segment of the state apparatus, which is then used to displace the government from its control of the remainder," thus, armed force (either military or paramilitary) is not a defining feature of a coup d’état."

If you were to look at the basic elements of a coup, Mugabe has attained each and every one of them.

"AU Peace and Security Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra says the new rules will make anyone think twice before taking or holding power illegally.

"The recommendations by the Commission have been endorsed fully," said Lamamra. "[Those include] how to enhance prevention and how to enhance the capacities of the organization to strive to eliminate unconstitutional changes of government, stronger sanctions in case diplomatic efforts aimed at restoring constitutional order fail or get stuck - so I think we have received the kind of strong support we needed to make a difference in 2010."

Sometimes the best way to avoid detection is to put yourself directly under the microscope.

"The session also approved the controversial selection of Zimbabwe to a seat on the most powerful AU body, the Peace and Security Council. Zimbabwe had been nominated for the seat by the southern African regional group SADC.

Zimbabwe was elected to a three-year term, along with Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Libya and Nigeria. Others elected to two-year terms were Burundi, Chad, Djibouti, Rwanda, Mauritania, Namibia, South Africa, Benin, Ivory Coast and Mali."

The AU is hoodwinking itself into accepting Mugabe and his enforced tenure as President of Zimbabwe.

Robb WJ Ellis

The Bearded Man