Odinga urged AU to send troops to remove Mugabe

Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga urged the African Union to send troops to Zimbabwe to end the humanitarian crisis in the country or allow the United Nations to do so.

He called President Robert Mugabe’s government a “vile dictatorship” that must be stopped.

“The international community must respond to the call of the African people and help end this murderous reign of Mugabe,” Odinga said.

Asked why President Mwai Kibaki had yet to address publicly the Zimbabwean crisis, Odinga confirmed he was doing so on behalf of the Kenyan government.

Odinga also said he called for Mugabe’s isolation in recent talks with Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa’s governing African National Congress party.

“I do believe strongly that if the leadership in South Africa took a firm stand and told Mugabe to quit he will have no choice but to do so,” Odinga said.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 08NAIROBI2740, Kenyan Prime Minister says “Mugabe Must Go”

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LONDON, PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER

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SUBJECT: Kenyan Prime Minister says “Mugabe Must Go”

¶1. Speaking at an international press conference on December 7 in

Nairobi, Prime Minister Raila Odinga called Robert Mugabe’s

government a “vile dictatorship” that must be stopped. Odinga urged

the African Union to send troops to end the humanitarian crisis, or

allow the UN to do so. “The international community must respond to

the call of the African people and help end this murderous reign of

Mugabe,” Odinga said. Asked why President Kibaki has yet to address

publicly the Zimbabwean crisis, Odinga confirmed he was doing so on

behalf of the GOK.

¶2. Odinga also said he called for Mugabe’s isolation in recent

talks with Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa’s governing African

National Congress party. “I do believe strongly that if the

leadership in South Africa took a firm stand and told Mugabe to quit

he will have no choice but to do so,” Odinga said. Aligning himself

with the PM, Moody Awori, former Kenyan Vice President, said the

situation in Zimbabwe is on the verge of spinning out of control if

no action is taken. The Kenyan Cabinet may discuss the Zimbabwean

situation at next week’s cabinet meeting.

¶3. Odinga’s December 7 press conference on Zimbabwe was the second

time in a week the Prime Minister has spoken out publicly against

Mugabe. (He first spoke out during his July visit to the U.S., and

has remained outspoken and firm on the issue.) After a private

meeting in his Nairobi home last week with Zimbabwe opposition

leader Morgan Tsvangirai that was widely covered by local and

international media, Odinga said that Zimbabwean President Robert

Mugabe should be removed from power as all efforts at power-sharing

had failed. Odinga reportedly said Mugabe was unwilling to share

power with opposition officials and therefore should be ousted from

his position. Media contacts who attended the meeting confirmed the

reporting to us. “Power-sharing is dead in Zimbabwe and will not

work with a dictator who does not really believe in power-sharing,”

Odinga declared.

¶4. During a meeting December 8 with the Ambassador and visiting

African Development Foundation head Lloyd Pierson, Odinga said he

will continue to speak out on the issue and urge others to do so.

He welcomed the recent comments made by A/S Frazer and the

Secretary. Odinga believes that the Presidents of Rwanda, Zambia,

and Senegal can be convinced to speak out. The Ambassador welcomed

Odinga’s comments and urged him to continue efforts to get others to

speak out as well.

RANNEBERGER

(24 VIEWS)