Echoes of Rwanda in Zimbabwe

If history teaches us anything, it's that whatever Bobby Mugabe has up his sleeve, it is almost certainly not good for the majority of the people of Zimbabwe.

South African journalist and blogger Alex Matthews draws eerie comparisons between Zimbabwe and Rwanda in the early months of 1994: A ruling clique, known for past brutality, is forced into a farce of a unity government and begins stockpiling arms and training its own militias. That Zimbabwe's looming conflict is not ethnic in nature does not detract from the potential for large -scale bloodshed.

Matthews' alarm echoes similar warnings repeated over the past couple of years, and yet all seem to fall on deaf ears. While widespread public knowledge of the lead-up to Rwanda and Darfur may have been lacking (or at least, people can argue as much), the same is not the case in Zimbabwe --- deeply troubling indications of insidious plans have been consistently publicized by Zim's dedicated cadre of human rights activists and journalists, and yet once again the international community appears to be sitting on its hands.

Each case of genocide and mass atrocity may be unique, but we have discerned enough in the way of similar patterns and indicators to know when to turn a suspicious gaze towards a rising threat. The question is, then, will we?

[Photo from the Zimbabwe Times: Police attack pro-democracy  protestors in Harare..]