Published: 2 hours ago

OPPOSITION politician Nelson Chamisa has launched a blistering attack on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU), accusing them of failing to act decisively against Africa's deepening crisis of disputed elections and military coups.

His remarks follow the AU's recent endorsement of Tanzania's elections, which were marred by deadly violence, accusations of State-sponsored repression, and the reported killing of hundreds of civilians.

Tanzania's incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in yesterday after securing about 98% of the vote, earning herself a new five-year term. President Emmerson Mnangagwa was among the first African leaders to congratulate Hassan on her victory.

In a strongly worded statement, Chamisa said SADC had become "ineffective and compromised," insisting that the regional body needed urgent reform to address governance challenges.

"SADC must be revamped and reformed if it is to meaningfully deal with the region's challenges," he said. "The continent is sliding into democratic decay - from Zimbabwe to Mozambique and now Tanzania - this is a growing and disturbing phenomenon."

Chamisa, who lost to Mnangagwa in Zimbabwe's disputed 2023 election, pointed to several examples of political instability and undemocratic transitions across Africa.

In Gabon, the military toppled long-time ruler Ali Bongo after controversial polls in 2023, while in Niger, the presidential guard ousted elected leader Mohamed Bazoum, plunging the country into military rule. Burkina Faso, Mali, and Guinea have also experienced coups in recent years.

In Mozambique, disputed 2024 elections sparked deadly clashes between opposition supporters and security forces.

Chamisa said Africa was witnessing a "serious escalation" in coups and disputed elections, with regional and continental bodies failing to provide leadership.

"SADC has been exposed as ineffective. Its credibility is compromised by leadership failures within its own ranks," he said. "The previous chair, Zimbabwe, had Mnangagwa - a man whose own election was condemned by SADC's observer mission. That made him and SADC incapacitated in resolving similar disputes."

He added that the recent military ouster of Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina, whose country now chairs SADC, had further undermined the regional bloc's legitimacy.

Turning his fire on the AU, Chamisa said the continental body had "abandoned its obligations as the guardian of Africa."

"The AU has become an absent guardian and a missing guardrail. Instead of fulfilling its mandate with and for the African people, it has turned into a club for endorsing illegitimacy, oppression, and the marginalisation of African citizens," he charged.

Chamisa accused ruling parties across the region of manipulating elections through the exclusion, incarceration, or disqualification of credible opposition figures, and decried widespread reports of abductions, forced disappearances, and attacks on civil society.

He condemned the "excessive use of force against citizens," as well as internet shutdowns, human rights abuses, and voter intimidation, which he said had become tools of political control.

Chamisa also demanded the immediate release of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who has been detained for nearly seven months under Hassan's administration.

"The silencing of dissent, the killing of democracy, and the persecution of opponents must stop. Africa deserves better," Chamisa said.
- newsday

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