Critics: African leaders cave to Mugabe

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- A regional group of southern African leaders missed an opportunity to force Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe to cede power to his opponents, critics say.

Instead of putting pressure on Mugabe to cede control of the country's police apparatus to opposition leader and Prime Minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai as some had hoped, the Southern African Development Community at a Johannesburg summit Monday instead recommended they share power. Critics see that as a cave-in to Mugabe's continued rule and a denial of Tsvangirai's mandate for change, the Voice of America reported.

"The SADC failure to honestly broker a power-sharing deal, even an indictment on the region, is evidenced that the region would rather be complicit with bad governance than allow the will of the people to prevail," Zimbabwe political analyst Glen Mpani told the VOA.

The U.S. and British governments also expressed displeasure with the SADC's decision, saying it would strengthen Mugabe's grip on power and worsen the Zimbabwean crisis, the broadcaster reported.

Mugabe indicated Monday he would press ahead to form a government without the participation of Tsvangirai, who finished first in Zimbabwe's March presidential elections but pulled out of a later runoff in the face of violence aimed his backers.