193: Zambian president joins call to repel Chinese arms ship

Today, Zambia’s president, Levy Mwanawasa, joined the calls for African nations to refuse the Chinese ship An Yue Jiang permission to dock, the New York Times reports. The ship carries arms destined for Zimbabwe and many are concerned that these could be deployed against Zimbabwe's people if the ongoing electoral crisis escalates. Mwanawasa, who is also chair of the Southern African Development Community, joins Kofi Annan (see RTBH post 191) and many others in calling for action to resolve the situation in Zimbabwe - and so far, dockworkers in South Africa and authorities in Mozambique have refused the Chinese ship. This kind of regional solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe is critical at this juncture. It's a rare and needed sign of hope.