Let Zimbaweans solve their own problems without outside interference.

chenzira, London,

Milliband should keep out of Zimbabwean affairs. Is it not his New Labour government at the root cause of all of this? They failed to honour the land reform program as agreed at the Lancaster House agreement. Land is the issue here!!

chenzira, London,

Britain has a duty to act here, as does SA, but for reasons unknown Mbeki continues to stand aside while his country is flooded with desperate refugees from north of the border - many of whom are forced to turn to crime to feed their families.

Its time for action, Mugabe is laughing at us all because he thinks we don't have the nerve to do anything. I say we should not be afraid to do the right thing now because of the legacy of the past! This isn't about the past, it's about the present. Mugabe is stealing the election before the world's very eyes and we all stand and watch? I say enough is enough. Saddam was toppled on a false premise (WMD) then we were then told that Iraq was better off without him anyway - the same applies here except the premises are not false! Troops out of Iraq and into Zim now!

Jonathan Main, Kuwait City, Kuwait

The malign influence of China over world affairs needs to be shattered.
One-party states reproduce themselves. They armed the Sudanese government against the Darfuris; they militarised North Korea; a supply of attack helicopters and now the arms shipment to Zimbabwe, fragments of a bigger picture. One South Africa paper stated they supplied the machetes used in the Rwanda genocide.
The Mugabe dictatorship has advanced for over 20 years along a Stalinist fantasy that involves population displacement, genocide of minority tribes, assassination of political opponents and resulted in the exodus of millions. These programs are even announced with grand-sounding names. They have yet to close their borders as in North Korea and make their country a concentration camp..
In the year of the Hitler Olympics in Beijing let us remove China from permanent membership of the Security Council where they have done so much damage to the leadership of the United Nations.
We need to help that country towards developing genuine democratic institutions and obtain liberation from their own militaristic one-party dictatorship. That is the major political mission of the early 21st century, and we should start by insisting on international monitors at their elections.

Mark Fielden, Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Thabo Mbeki .....another Mugabe in the wings , Pity SA for the evil will spread.

Adrian Scurr , Kalgoorlie , Western Australia

Geoff Young:

"You put Mugabe in power"

?? Mate, you seriously need to check your historical facts.
Mugabe's ZANU -PF party fought a 25 year war of independence with Ian Smith's white minority government that was left behind when Britain pulled out. Britain did anything but "put Mugabe in power".

But now Mugabe's government is as bad as Smiths one, since it is not democratic, and is in effect a militarily ruled despotism. It is time for full sanctions to be applied, so that Mugabe can no longer afford to pay his soldiers and police forces who (for some starnge reason) keep him in power while their non-military families, relatives and neighbours starve.

Mike, Auckland, New Zealand

What has happened to the African Union task force that landed on the rebel Cormoran island?

We know that the AU has troops. We know that the UN has troops. If the AU is unable to send people to help end this crisis, they should send out a clear message to the UN to help, to NATO to help, and to individual states to help.

If the AU is willing to lead a task force to eject the military leaders who are, by all accounts perpetuating the misery, I am sure that every reasonable country would back it.

Why wait for more people to be hurt?

Brijit , Paris, France

The UN does not have power or resources to invade and then rebuild countries with cruel and tyrannical governments. Even one of the worst examples (Iraq) was not sanctioned nor supported by the UN and has turned out a spectacular failure with huge loss of life and infrastructure totally destroyed. There are many countries even worse than Zimbabwe (eg Saudi Arabia) but who would speak of outside involvement there ?

It is also clear that Zimbabwe's immediate neighbours such as South Africa, and indeed most African countries are more supportive of Mugabe than they would be of any outside intervention - which could thus never succeed.

Sean, Coventry, UK

Rob from London,

I should clarify that I'm an ex pat Brit, not a South African.

The truth is that SADC/African countries in general won't do anything, partly because they don't have the will and partly because they don't have the facilities. If they went into Zimbabwe, then it would end as a war and not as a peace keeping mission.

I wasn't suggesting the Brits go in alone to restore peace and democracy...... that would be seen as a re-colonisation excercise by all the other African neighbours and would cause a mountain of associated political problems.

The Zimbabwe situation is exactly what the UN was designed to do in the first place. It's an association of nations that each contributes to a military power that is designed and equipped to go in and maintain peace and democracy etc. Because it's a force provided by multiple western countries, their military actions are viewed as peace keeping missions rather than re-colonisations or military aggression from a single power

steve, white river, south africa

Malcolm Fraser's hands are indeed drippiing with the blood of africans, it is also interesting to note he is mute now on the entire subject of Zimbabwe.

peter faux, burrum heads , australia , queensland

I am truly ashamed of our 'mealie mouthed' prime minister and his complete lack of backbone in dealing with the Zimbabwe situation

Ben Curtis, Newbury, Berkshire

What is the UK's plan here? Is she, for example, willing to confront China about the arms it despatched to Zimbabwe?

Now the Unions and later the Mozambiquan and Tanzanian governments have refused to handled the weapons, is the UK willingly to use its influence with allies to deny air space clearance to any shipments being flown from Beijing by air?

Is the UK willing to request BP to use its influence with the Angolan government not to handle those arms?

Is the the UK willing to talk to to the German government about the supply of bank notes to the Zimbabwean government they use to buy support internally?

Jo, Olney, UK

Er, we gave them freedom and this is what they have done with it. The rest of Africa would be up in arms if it saw Britain "meddling" with a former colony adn would immediately suspect the worst. How about some countries in Africa aiding their neighbours? Wat has S. Africa done. Do you want us to depose any government that popular consent deems wrong ( I am by no means condoning Mugabe as his regime is awful) as this will lead to Britain being a world police. Also I seem to think that Australia is planning on having a repulic referendum. Shall we invade and repatrify you if you vote to drop the queen. We started your country so shall we keep it? Don't be silly!

Rob, London,

Whatever is the UN thinking? - It's time for action not words. Zimbabwe is just one step away from ANOTHER African genocide. What do they think all that ammunition etc that's currently on the high seas will be used for?

The UN sat back and watched the genocide happen in Rwanda and if they don't step in NOW, there'll be a repeat in Zimbabwe.

I saw the results of the Rwanda genocide with my own eyes and it still haunts me today. - It would be a crime against humanity if the UN allowed the same thing to happen in Zimbabwe.

steve, white river, south africa

President Mwanawasa, of Zambia is the first African leader to speak out in a way that just might make a difference for the suffering people of Zimbabwe. Let's thank him for that. Unfortunately Mugabe's constant rhetoric about all the problems being placed at the ex-Colonial powers has suppressed any stand by other African leaders against the chronically oppressive, ethnically-cleansing and brutal Mugabe regime. The tide wave is coming for major action against Mugabe, and nothing short of his removal and honest election results will change this.

Sue Shaw, Morpeth, UK

To Geoff in Busselton, do not forget our own PM at the time Mr Fraser for his very active role in convincing Margaret Thatcher to put Mugabe in power.

Lesley Meyer, Perth, WA

Brittain why are you allowing this?

You put Mugabe in power

Why do you not remove him?

Don't give the world that excuse its not you problem, you created it you fix it.

To the wonderful Africans I knew in Zimbabwe my heart goes out to you.

Geoff Young, Busselton, WA