Le pouvoir du peuple : Comment la société civile est parvenue à bloquer une cargaison d’armes destinée au Zimbabwe

The document details the campaign to stop the Chinese vessel An Yue Jiang from delivering weapons to Zimbabwe following the contested 2008 elections. It examines the roles of legal challenges, media, and regional partnerships in preventing the shipment's delivery through South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, and Angola.

• In April 2008, the Chinese ship An Yue Jiang attempted to unload weapons for the Zimbabwean army at the port of Durban, South Africa, to be transported overland to Zimbabwe.
• South African civil society, including the Southern African Litigation Centre (SALC), successfully obtained a court order from the High Court of KwaZulu-Natal to suspend the transport permit and prohibit the unloading of the arms cargo.
• Following the South African court order, the vessel attempted to dock in Mozambique, Namibia, and Angola; however, coordinated opposition from civil society, transport unions, and regional authorities prevented the arms from being unloaded in these countries as well.
• The campaign's success is attributed to several critical factors: the rapid alert and dissemination of information by the media, the existence of a tangible focal point (the ship), and the use of established regional networks and international cooperation.
• The United States government provided international pressure, with the US Under Secretary of State for African Affairs, Jendayi Frazier, urging regional counterparts not to allow the ship to dock.
• The author frames the event within the 'Responsibility to Protect' (R2P) doctrine, suggesting that civil society acted as champions of this norm when the South African government refused to use its influence to protect the Zimbabwean population.

APA

Fritz, N. (2009). Le pouvoir du peuple : Comment la société civile est parvenue à bloquer une cargaison d’armes destinée au Zimbabwe. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/Occasional-Paper-36-FR.pdf

Chicago

Fritz, Nicole. Le pouvoir du peuple : Comment la société civile est parvenue à bloquer une cargaison d’armes destinée au Zimbabwe. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2009. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/Occasional-Paper-36-FR.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Fritz |first1=Nicole |title=Le pouvoir du peuple : Comment la société civile est parvenue à bloquer une cargaison d’armes destinée au Zimbabwe |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=July 2009 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/Occasional-Paper-36-FR.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fritz2009pouvoir, author = {Fritz, Nicole}, title = {{Le pouvoir du peuple : Comment la société civile est parvenue à bloquer une cargaison d’armes destinée au Zimbabwe}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2009}, month = jul, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/Occasional-Paper-36-FR.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }