Mugabe using hit-squads, Angola to send police

The rumors of Mugabe using thugs and hit squads to target opposition members sounds like more of the same to me, but Angola sending in 2000 police to help the government repression, that is beyond shocking. Angola is a country that suffered from years of war and is littered with mines even today making agriculture very dangerous and difficult.

The communist government of Angola has become rich to the tune of billions thanks to oil being discovered along with other natural resources though very little has ever made it back into the infrastructure of the country. The Bush administration recently gave preferred trading partner status to the oil-rich country despite its poor reputation for human rights, rampant corruption and inability to provide basic needs for its people. The communist government also sold off fishing rights to the EU, thus leaving few alternatives for feeding its own population.

Since the US does have a close relationship with Angola, I would expect to see some action taken to prevent or at least firmly protest this proposed move by the government to crush opposition to the brutal dictatorship of Robert Mugabe.