According to CNN, a cargo ship from China has been denied access to African coastal ports because it is suspected to be shipping weapons destined for the land-locked Zimbabwe. Dockworkers in the South African port of Durban said they would not handle the cargo because of fears the weapons would be used by the Zimbabwe government against its people.
Deputy U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey told CNN that the U.S. has been “tracking this vessel for a few days now and we don't think it is appropriate for anyone to provide additional weapons in Zimbabwe as they are going through a political crisis.”
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Casey said the U.S. is "pleased no country in the region has allowed the vessel to offload" its alleged cargo of weapons, which is believed to include small arms, rifles, and ammunition destined for Zimbabwe security forces. It is hoped that China will recall the vessel, which is still seeking to offload its cargo in other African countries.
In an interview last week with CNN, opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai said he was concerned about the Chinese ship and feared the weapons would be used to intimidate voters.
According to CISA, in some populous urban areas in Zimbabwe, poverty and famine are widespread. Poor harvest and delays of maize imports from neighboring countries have driven up the price of food. Victims of the violence find that hospitals have no drugs or medicine to treat them.
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Saying a “pall of despondency” hangs over Zimbabwe, the religious coalition has called for an immediate end to the violence, the closure of the militia camps, and the release of the delayed poll results.
“The unprecedented delay in the publication of these results has caused anxiety, frustration, depression, suspicion and in some cases illness among people of Zimbabwe both at home and abroad,” the coalition said.
Addressing the people of Zimbabwe, the coalition appealed for peace, saying, “We urge you to refuse to be used for a political party or other people’s selfish ends, especially where it concerns violence against other people, including those who hold different views from your own. It was the Lord Jesus who said, ‘Whatever you do to one of these little ones, you do it unto me’.”