Zimbabwean rights groups Tuesday called for international monitors to oversee the government's pledge to curb violence in exchange for British financing of its land reforms.
"Civil society believes that effective monitoring mechanisms must be put in place to ensure that the government puts a stop to the violence being perpetrated predominantly by its militant supporters," said a statement from a coalition of rights groups called the Crisis Conference Coordinating Committee.
"The Zimbabwe government can demonstrate its serious acceptance of the Abuja agreement by accepting the setting up of these monitoring systems," the statement said.
"By showing that it is open to regulation and accountability it can restore basic trust, build confidence. If as it claims it has nothing to hide, it will have no fear of scrutiny," it added.
In the Abuja agreement, Zimbabwe agreed to curb the politically charged violence in its countryside in exchange for British financing of its land reforms.
University of Zimbabwe professor John Makumbe told a press conference that the crisis group and the organizations it represents had not been allowed to make their statement to the six southern African heads of state gathered here for a summit on Zimbabwe's crisis.
He distributed the statement the coalition would have made to the presidents on the sidelines of the meeting.
Included among the groups not allowed to meet the heads of state were the Amani Trust, which provides care to victims of political violence and torture.
Amani Trust said it documented 27 politically motivated killings since the beginning of the year, in addition to the 34 committed before last year's parliamentary elections -- HARARE (AFP)
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