Frenemies of Zimbabwe meet in Brussels

On 28 June, a grouping of donors, the so-called 'Friends of Zimbabwe' group, held a meeting in Brussels. The donors primarily focused on the perceived progress made by the Government of National Unity, but they remained remarkably silent on the majority of the challenges facing Zimbabwe, such as the government's failure to implement the agreed electoral and security sector reform ahead of the coming elections. On a positive note, the donors acknowledge that there is a problem of political violence. However, they offer no solutions or action to address this problem.

Critique from civil society
Civil society, on the other hand, were far more critical towards the lack of progress in securing the safety and freedoms of Zimbabweans and called on international and regional policy-makers to increase the pressure on Zimbabwe's government to end political violence and ensure that the upcoming elections will be free, fair and peaceful.

Political violence on the agenda
It was encouraging to see that political violence against women took centre stage the following day, with a screening of the film 'Hear Us: Women Affected by Political Violence in Zimbabwe Speak Out'. This is a reflection of the increased focus from Zimbabwean and international civil society on the severe consequences of gender specific violence. It remains to be seen if the international diplomatic actors have the political will to increase the pressure on Zimbabwe's Government of National Unity to acknowledge the problem and put measures in place to end political violence against women.

Watch the film Hear Us: women Affected by Political Violence in Zimbabwe Speak Out:

Read the statement by the European Union External Action Service
Read the Zimbabwe Europe Network's recommendations
Read the speech on behalv of the Zimbabwean civil society