Zimbabwe under investigation for sending weapons to Cote d'Ivoire: UN

A new twist to the ongoing political crisis in Cote d'Ivoire emerged yesterday, as the United Nations said it was investigating claims that Zimbabwe sent weapons to Cote d'Ivoire, a development  analysts say, may be a warning sign of renewed civil war in the country.

Also, supporters of  Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980, yesterday accused the country's main opposition leader, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, of using the Egyptian protests to whip up similar anti-government sentiment in the southern African nation.

Reports said the arms transfer, which was allegedly facilitated by the state-owned Zimbabwe Defence Industries, was allegedly dispatched with Mugabe's blessing. This, it was gathered, was premised on the fact that it was only Mugabe, who publicly congratulated Gbagbo over his alleged election victory. Though reports said an envoy from Cote d'Ivoire travelled to Zimbabwe last month, trying to garner more public support from Mugabe, the UK Sunday Times reported last month that the Zimbabwean government transferred the alleged arms to the administration of embattled President Laurent Gbagbo.

The newspaper quoted high ranking intelligence sources, who said the weapons deal was part of an arms-for-oil exchange agreement with the Gbagbo regime.

Gbagbo is facing international condemnation for refusing to hand over power to his political rival, Alassane Ouattara, despite losing the presidential re-run elections last November. His refusal to hand over power has resulted in widespread violence across the country.

Following the stalemate, the African Union (AU) intervened to negotiate some kind of settlement to end the political crisis in the country, despite publicly announcing its support for Ouattara, last year. This support, it was reported, was also echoed by the West African leadership bloc, ECOWAS, and the United Nations (UN), leaving Gbagbo and his unlawful administration isolated.

Reacting to the arms allegation, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies in South Africa, Guy Lamb, told SW Radio Africa last Thursday that it wouldn't be surprising if the allegations turned out to be true. He explained that Zimbabwe already has a murky history with regards to illegal arms trading. "Zimbabwe is under an EU arms embargo because certain government members and the ZDI have been implicated in supplying arms to rebel movements and mercenaries," Lamb explained.

Meanwhile, the ripple effect of Egypt's anti-government protests yesterday, started having its toll on Zimbabwe, as the country's state-run radio cited an exclusive Fox News.com interview with opposition leader and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last week where he was alleged to have encouraged his countrymen to follow suit.

When asked about whether the Egypt protests could affect events back home, Tsvangirai said, "when people take their rights and start demanding more rights, there is nothing wrong with that, including in Zimbabwe."

Investigations further revealed that there has not been any official report on anti-government rallies, following Tsvangirai's comments but reports said two pro-Mugabe rallies have been held last week in both the capital, Harare, and Mbare township.