.bmp)
.bmp)
ADDIS ABABA-Africa's top diplomat said on Monday that the violent election crisis in Zimbabwe was a grave concern and the African Union had begun consultations on what action to take.Jean Ping, the chairman of the African Union Commission, said in a statement that he was closely following events in Zimbabwe, including the decision by MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai to pull out of the second round ballot due on Friday."This development and the increasing acts of violence in the run-up to the second round of the presidential election are a matter of grave concern to the Commission of the AU," it said.The statement said Ping had initiated consultations with the AU chairman, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, as well as the chairman of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and its mediator-South African President Thabo Mbeki, to see how best the AU could help."The chairperson of the Commission stresses the need for all Zimbabwean stakeholders to exercise restraint and reiterates his call for an immediate end to all acts of violence," it said."He calls on Zimbabwean parties to work together to overcome the challenges facing their country in this critical phase in its history."Tsvangirai withdrew from the June 27 election saying his Movement for Democratic Change supporters would be risking their lives it they cast votes against President Robert Mugabe, who has ruled since independence from Britain in 1980.Mugabe has blamed election violence on the opposition.To read more go to:
As in the days of Noah....
