Russia and China Blocks Zimbabwe Sanctions At UN

Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe cheers the news that the regimes in China and Russia have blocked an attempt by the Security Council to impose sanctions.

“We are very happy with the turn of events and would like to thank those who helped defeat international racism disguised as multilateral action at the U.N.,” Zimbabwean Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu told Reuters.

“The principles of non-interference into the sovereign affairs of a U.N. member state have been upheld. What has the U.N got to do with member states’ elections?,” he said.

Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai defeated Mugabe in a March 29 presidential election but failed to get enough votes to avoid a second ballot.

Tsvangirai withdrew from the run-off poll held on June 27, citing attacks on his supporters by pro-Mugabe militia. His and Western powers branded Mugabe’s landslide re-election a sham.

The Movement for Democratic Change is now in preliminary talks with ZANU-PF under the auspices of South African mediators, but has refused to negotiate a power-sharing deal until the government halts the bloodshed. The opposition says 113 of its supporters have been killed.

South Africa’s government applauded the U.N. decision on Saturday, in line with an African Union resolution to encourage dialogue between ZANU-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change instead.

Thugs stick together, and once again we see how Mugabe is able to hang on to power because he's managed to get other countries, including South Africa, China, and now Russia to run interference for him. These countries are claiming that sanctions - specifically targeting Mugabe and 13 top thugs along with an arms embargo would violate noninterference with the internal affairs of a country.

Considering that Zimbabwe has a refugee crisis that spills over its borders into neighboring countries, has seen people seek refuge in foreign embassies (including the South African embassy where people were turned away only to be attacked by Mugabe's thugs at the camp they were taken), this isn't an internal issue.

These countries are putting a rubber stamp on a stolen election.

And Zimbabweans will suffer more for it.