Birds of a Feather: Mugabe, Mengistu, and China

In reading up on the Ethiopian Civil War, I ran across this gem. Haile Mariam Mengistu was the Soviet-supported dictator of Ethiopia in the 1970s and 80s who caused the famine that unfortunately is what Ethiopia is still so famous for, and killed half a million people during his purges (as estimated by Amnesty International). He was basically the African Stalin. What's most interesting is not just that Mengistu is still alive, but where he's still alive. Mengistu has been granted asylum in Zimbabwe, and of course Robert Mugabe granted it.

Let's get this straight. Robert Mugabe, who's made a career of railing against European imperialism in Africa, is supporting a man who killed half a million African citizens, while that man was propped up by a European power. What's more, Mugabe is refusing to allow Mengistu's extradition to Ethiopia since he was convicted in absentia for war crimes. Just beyond belief.

It's getting to be a regular Legion of Doom down there in Zimbabwe. Mengistu gets asylum there...China ships them weapons...at least it's easy to tell who the bad guys are - they all associate.