I was saddened but not surprised to read that after months of seeing his supporters beaten, kidnapped, jailed and murdered, Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew from the Zimbabwean presidential runoff election. His decision was a shrewd one, that now places great political pressure on the few remaining supporters of Mugabe, as well as all African leaders, to now distance themselves from his regime. Tsvangirai saw no advantange in staying in the race, where it was almost certain that the violence would only intensify. With over 70 of his supporters dead, and tens of thousands of people displaced, the cost was just too high to justify continuing. Tsvangirai is now seeking refuge in the Dutch embassy in Harare. It's shocking to see how brutal and oppressive Mugabe's regime is. He's committed countless crimes against his own people, while African leaders praise him. His status as a liberator allowed him to become a tyrant under the noses of his neighbors, while his people now need to be liberated from him. I only hope the story does not end here, and that Tsvangirai lives to fight another day.
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