Raila of Kenya wants to go the military way to overthrow Mugabe

NAIROBI – Foreign troops should prepare to intervene in Zimbabwe to end a worsening humanitarian crisis and the country’s president, Robert Mugabe, should be investigated for crimes against humanity, the Kenyan prime minister said yesterday.

In the latest sign of international frustration over Zimbabwe’s slide into chaos, Prime Minister Raila Odinga urged the African Union to call an emergency meeting to authorize sending troops into Zimbabwe.

“If no troops are available, then the AU must allow the UN to send its forces into Zimbabwe with immediate effect, to take over control of the country and ensure urgent humanitarian assistance to the people dying of cholera,” he said.

More than 500 Zimbabweans have officially died of the disease since an outbreak in August, but health officials fear the toll may be much higher. They warn that deaths could spiral into the thousands due to the collapse of Zimbabwe’s health system, the scarcity of food, and the oncoming rainy season, which may help spread infections.

Odinga said Mugabe had reduced the country to a “basket case” and should be investigated by the International Criminal Court at The Hague.

Odinga said other African leaders were too slow to criticize Zimbabwe and were treating Mugabe with “kid gloves” because Mugabe had supported their liberation struggles.

“We refuse to accept the idea that African countries should be judged by lesser standards than other countries in the world,” Odinga said. “Participation in the liberation struggle is no license for anyone to own a country.”

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source.bostonnews