The Zimbabwe government has no plans to rejoin the Commonwealth and anyone lobbying for Harare to be allowed back to the bloc will be working against Zimbabwe’s position, a Cabinet minister has said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi said Zimbabwe was unjustifiably suspended from the Commonwealth in 2002 after the bloc of former British colonies premised its decision on what they regarded as ‘preponderance of opinion’.

Mumbengegwi said this while giving oral evidence on Monday before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs chaired by Makonde MP Kindness Paradza (Zanu-PF) regarding Zimbabwe’s foreign policy.

“Since then, there has never been a review of Commonwealth membership by the Government of Zimbabwe. In fact, it is difficult to see any such review taking place in the foreseeable future. Therefore, any parliamentarians who lobby foreign parliamentarians for Zimbabwe to be allowed to join the Commonwealth must know that their efforts are at variance with the Government of Zimbabwe. The Commonwealth is, after all, first and foremost an association of governments,” he said.

Giving some background, Minister Mumbengegwi said Zimbabwe was initially suspended for one year following a report by the Commonwealth Election Observer Mission after they asserted that while Presidential elections had been held professionally they had received complaints from the opposition of violence which allegedly occurred before they arrived in the country.

As a result, he said, a troika of the Commonwealth comprising former South African president Thabo Mbeki, his then Nigerian counterpart President Olusegun Obasanjo and the then Australian prime minister John Howard announced the suspension after a whole day of deliberations.

Minister Mumbengegwi said Zimbabwe was subsequently suspended by President Obasanjo on what he called ‘preponderance of opinion’ in spite of fierce opposition by Sadc and Uganda that the decision undermined the Commonwealth tradition of decision- making by consensus.

“For Zimbabwe to come back, these were the conditions, (that) secretary-general (Donald) McKinnon and chairman Obasanjo must unanimously recommend to a committee of seven foreign ministers, which had been set up, who in turn must unanimously recommend to all members of the Commonwealth who must unanimously agree to lift the suspension of Zimbabwe,” said Minister Mumbengegwi.

He said this coincided with Zanu-PF national people’s conference in Masvingo that subsequently voted to pull out from the Commonwealth.

On re-engagement with the European Union, Minister Mumbengegwi said the Western bloc had failed to substantiate its allegations of absence of democracy and rule of law.

Of late, he said, the United States and the EU had sought to justify their sanctions on the alleged disappearance of journalist and opposition political activist Itai Dzamara.

“I have said to them, look, before the Dzamara issue, why did you impose sanctions in the first place? I asked them to bring evidence of alleged abuse, specific evidence but they have failed,” he said.

Legislators also expressed concern on the state of infrastructure of Zimbabwean embassies which they said was embarrassing.

Minister Mumbengegwi said it was a reflection of the harsh economic environment in the country.

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The top United Nations humanitarian official in Sudan said today she is deeply concerned about the plight of more than 85,000 newly displaced civilians in North Darfur state who have fled their villages in recent days as a result of an escalation of conflict in the region’s Jebel Marra area.

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Marta Ruedas, said in a press release that this past Monday, she visited Tawilla, west of El Fasher on the fringes of the Jebel Marra, where more than 22,000 people, mostly women and children, have gathered in recent weeks next to an existing camp for displaced people.

“Seeing hundreds of women and children in Tawilla and speaking to the local authorities there very much brings it home: that civilians continue to bear the brunt of conflict every day and their protection is our paramount concern,” Ms Ruedas stressed.

The UN, along with international and national organizations, and the Sudanese Red Crescent Society, are delivering assistance to those in need, and more is on the way, but the massive influx of new arrivals in recent days has “put a strain on what was an already logistically complex operation,” the UN official said.

Ms. Ruedas also said an 11-truck convoy left El Fasher with more aid, including food, for Sortony, where there are more than 63,000 newly-displaced people taking refuge next to a UN peacekeeping site.

To date, the United Nations and its partners have not been granted access to key locations reportedly affected by civilian displacement in Central Darfur, despite reports of wide-scale movement of people and potential emergency need.

Calling for immediate access to all people in need so that those affected can receive the humanitarian assistance they require, Ms. Ruedas in particular urged all parties to the conflict to allow the UN and its partners to reach displaced people in Central Darfur.

As of February 20, there are 22,261 newly displaced people in Tawilla, of whom 18,974 are verified, and 63,223 newly displaced people in Sortony, of whom 41,530 have been registered, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

According to the Kebkabiya Smallholder Charitable Society, a non-profit organization, and Oxfam International, there are also 2,018 displaced people in Kebkabiya. This brings the total of displaced in North Darfur State as a result of the recent Jebel Marra hostilities to 87,502, the UN official said.

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Burkina Faso’s ousted leader Blaise Compaore has been granted Ivorian citizenship, effectively ending the prospect of his extradition to face murder charges back home.

The order was signed by Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara in November 2014, but has only just come to light.

Mr Compaore is wanted over his alleged role in the murder of iconic ex-leader Thomas Sankara in 1987.

His 27-year rule ended in October 2014 after a wave of popular protests.

Mr Compaore, whose wife is Ivorian, has been in exile in Ivory Coast since his overthrow in October 2014.

An arrest warrant was issued for him in December.

Mr Sankara, a left-wing radical seen as ‘Africa’s Che Guevara’, is considered a hero for many Africans and was succeeded by Mr Compaore, who had served as his deputy.

The exact circumstances of his death have remained a mystery.

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