The Cold War era might have symbolically ended with the pulling down of the Berlin Wall in 1989, but who can say with certainty that the Cold War is no more? Recent events emerging give credence to the view that the Cold War is still very much in vogue. Scenarios unfolding in Africa re- incarnate that ideological struggle. And one is not wrong to suggest that the next Cold War theater is going to be played out in Africa as illustrated by happenings which have attracted international concerns and actions: Zimbabwe and Darfur (Sudan).

Zimbabwe in southern Africa is a country that needs urgent attention to restore order, democracy, and the economy whose annual inflation rate is now reported to be over two million percent! (I wonder how many Zimbabwe dollars one would need to buy cigarettes or a bottle of soda. )

The nation has held two rounds of elections within six months. In the first round in March, the Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai won the election but was not allowed to form a government because the ruling party claimed he did not have an absolute majority required by the constitution. What was interesting though was that even before the results were announced, the government called for a recount of the votes. In this confusion, government called for a re- run, which stupidly the opposition accepted. Watch what followed during the campaigns.

Government unleashed total terror on the opposition members. They were hunted down, tortured, killed, or imprisoned. Those who managed escaped to neighboring countries and as far as South Africa. Tsvangirai, the main opposition leader had to seek refuge in the Dutch embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital.

Sensing there was no way he could campaign and win in such a wild atmosphere, the opposition leader withdrew from the elections to save his supporters from torture and harassment. So Robert Mugabe ran alone, and he won overwhelmingly.

The elections and results were outrageous in the eyes of the international community. The US and Britain moved to impose UN sanctions on Mugabe and 13 of his key allies, but China and Russia vetoed the resolution even when it had got the minimum majority vote of nine members. Mugabe cheered and laughed. But the EU member states are working out even tougher sanctions against Mugabe and his close associates.

In Darfur (Sudan) where government uses a wild militia, Janjaweed, to fight against rebels, a complicated situation has sucked in many actors. Though the UN has slapped an arms embargo on Darfur, there is evidence that China is supplying the Sudanese government with arms.

Liu Guijin, China's special envoy to Darfur, does not deny the charge. He says China's arms sales are very small to the sovereign government of Sudan. But he also blames the escalation of the violence on Western countries, whom he does not name, for supplying rebels with arms. Over 300,000 people have been killed in this strife, and more than two million have fled their villages.

If Mugabe's regime cannot be subjected to economic sanctions because he is being protected by China and Russia through their veto powers, are we not back to square one? Multilateralism in international relations is again being cast aside because of individual government national interests. If China is supplying the Sudan government with arms, and the rebels are being supported by Western governments, are we different now than what we had in Angola, Ethiopia, and Somalia in the 1970s?

What is this if it is not re- enactment of Cold War on African soil? Zadok Ekimwere zomwere@hotmail.com