South African Dock Workers Refuse to Unload Arms

In South Africa, dock workers refused to unload a Chinese shipment of arms headed for Zimbabwe. They were joined in these efforts by church leaders and other organizations. The ship is now expected to head for Angola in an attempt to unload the shipment and have it flown to Zimbabwe. Levy Mwanawasa, the president of Zambia, has spoken out and encouraged countries in the region not to allow the ship to dock. China has said it may have the ship return to China. (News story)

Avaaz has put together a petition which will be launched at a press conference in Johannesburg later this week. This is the text of the petition:

Petition to SADC leaders and governments throughout Africa and the world: We, the undersigned, call for your support preventing any weapons shipments from reaching Zimbabwe until the crisis is resolved. We believe that, if delivered, these weapons would likely be used to violate the human rights of Zimbabweans, and we support the efforts of ordinary citizens and African trade unionists to prevent their transit through neighbouring countries. This shipment highlights the urgent need for a strong international arms trade treaty, and the continuing violence demands that all regional and global leaders act to protect human rights.

The dock workers have given Zimbabwe a ray of hope. All it takes for you is a click to show your support. While I was writing this, the number of signatures doubled, from around 76,000 to 156,147. Please sign the petition now.