Violence in Zimbabwe tops CrisisWatch list

BRUSSELS, July 3 (UPI) -- The violence against voters in Zimbabwe topped the list of five deteriorating conflict situations in June, according to the monthly CrisisWatch report.

Written by the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, the report listed five conflicts that deteriorated in June including the violence that surrounded the runoff election in Zimbabwe, Crisis Group reported.

The run-up to the election on June 27, an election denounced by the United Nations and most Western countries, was clouded by violence and intimidation sponsored by Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's regime. A victory was all but certain after opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai removed himself from the ballot.

Crisis Group analysts estimate as many as 200,000 have been displaced by the violence.

Also on the June CrisisWatch list was the breakdown of the peace process in Uganda. A surge in violence in Uganda led by the rebel Lord's Resistance Army and a lack of participation from LRA leader Joseph Kony left the country in a fragile state, Crisis Group analysts said.

The CrisisWatch report additionally listed insecurity in Nigeria, the standoff between Djibouti and Eritrea and also the violence in Chad as regions with worsening crises in June.