By Emelia Sithole-Matarise
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A coalition of African-based civil society organisations urged southern African countries on Thursday to freeze arms shipments to Zimbabwe to avoid plunging the country into deeper political violence.
Led by the International Action Network on Small Arms, the organisations said politically motivated violence in Zimbabwe was escalating ahead of a June 27 presidential run-off and any transfer of arms and military equipment could worsen the crisis.
They were optimistic their campaign for a moratorium would succeed after South Africa and other neighbouring states turned away a Chinese shipment of weapons bound for landlocked Zimbabwe in April.
"The ship turned back but politically motivated violence is escalating in Zimbabwe under the shadow of the armed forces and there is still a real danger that further arms shipments to Zimbabwe will worsen the situation," said IANSA Africa Co-ordinator Joseph Dube.
"Today we are launching a campaign calling on the heads of SADC to declare an immediate moratorium on the transfer of all military, paramilitary and security equipment to Zimbabwe that can be used in internal repression," he told reporters, referring to Zimbabwe's neighbours in the Southern Africa Development Community.
The European Union already has an arms embargo against Zimbabwe, part of sanctions in place since 2002. The embargo bars the 27 EU states from supplying arms or equipment intended for military operations.
Zimbabwe's former colonial power Britain led calls for wider arms embargo and the United States backed the call.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says 65 people have been killed by President Robert Mugabe's supporters since March 29 elections.
On Wednesday it said soldiers and ZANU-PF activists had beaten and threatened to shoot Zimbabweans who wanted to support its leader Morgan Tsvangirai who defeated Mugabe in March 29 elections but not by enough votes to avoid a runoff.
Mugabe says the opposition is responsible for violence.
"The current situation in Zimbabwe has prompted us to try and add to efforts that security in Zimbabwe is guaranteed towards elections and after, no matter who wins," Obby Chibuluma, the southern Africa coordinator for the Coalition for Peace in Africa, said.
