Christian Aid partner organisations in Zimbabwe are considering their next steps following the re-election of President Mugabe in a highly controversial second-round vote.
The Zimbabwe Christian Alliance (ZCA), a network of church leaders, is starting a consultation with a broad spectrum of civil society.
‘We want this to feed into the mediation process,’ said Useni Sibanda of the ZCA. ‘It is important that the voices of the people not interested in gaining power are heard.’
This week’s African Union (AU) summit in Egypt concluded with a resolution which, among other things, endorsed the role of intermediary held by South African president Thabo Mbeki.
It also supported a call for a government of national unity. Mr Sibanda said that, while such a government worked in Kenya in the aftermath of electoral violence, it is not suitable for Zimbabwe.
‘There will be a debate over who should lead this kind of government. We do not believe it is the best model.’
‘We feel the best solution for Zimbabwe is a transitional authority which will draw up a new constitution. This authority must work towards a free and fair election.
‘But this country’s most urgent need is a truth recovery process. We need healing – we have been living with such violence and people are living in such fear that we will never be able to move forward without healing these wounds.’
The ZCA is also calling for humanitarian agencies to be given immediate access to the hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans facing severe food shortages.
The ZCA will present the findings of its consultation to church and civil society leaders in the region.
Mr Sibanda said there was great disappointment with the final resolution of the AU summit.
‘We were heartened by the fact that both the AU and the regional Southern African Development Community elections observers said the elections on June 27 were neither free nor fair. We think the AU should have taken a tougher stance against the regime.’