ZANU PF on Sunday condemned “imperialist aggression” in Libya and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party called for a cessation of “atrocities” as an alliance of Western countries carried out air bombardment of the north African country.
On Saturday, military forces from Britain, France, Canada and the United States launched a series of bombing raids on Libyan airfields, tanks and air defence systems.
Ships and submarines fired 124 cruise missiles to destroy dozens of tanks and aircraft. Commanders said most of Libya’s military air capacity was destroyed.
Libyan TV claimed 64 people had been killed in the US-led onslaught with more than 100 injured, including civilians.
The heavy bombardment has been criticised by Russia, China and the African Union. And on Sunday, the head of the Arab League, who supported the idea of a no-fly zone to end Muammar Gaddafi's crackdown against armed militants, condemned the severity of the bombardment.
“The MDC condemns the use of violence as a way of resolving issues,” said Nelson Chamisa, the spokesman for the MDC led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. “As it is, we condemn what is happening in Libya.”
President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF was more direct and more scathing, describing the operation as a “violation of African sovereignty”.
Spokesman Rugare Gumbo told the Voice of America: “They are using their power, super power, just as they did in Iraq.
“It’s an aggression against an African country, as far as we are concerned it’s imperialist aggression ... all they want in Libya is oil, not human rights, not democracy.”
Chamisa said the MDC wanted to see “the African voice taking centre stage”, adding: “Unfortunately, that has not been the case. So we are still expecting our bodies on the continent to be very strong on the violence that is taking place in Libya and also on the atrocities that are being committed.”
The African Union's panel on Libya issued a statement on Sunday, calling for an "immediate stop" to all attacks against Gaddafi’s forces.
After a more than four-hour meeting in the Mauritanian capital, the body also asked Libyan authorities to ensure "humanitarian aid to those in need," as well as the "protection of foreigners, including African expatriates living in Libya."
It underscored the need for "necessary political reforms to eliminate the causes of the present crisis" but at the same time called for "restraint" from the international community to avoid "serious humanitarian consequences."
The panel also announced a meeting in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on March 25, along with representatives from the Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Conference, the European Union and the United Nations to "put in place a mechanism for consultation and concerted action" to resolve the Libyan crisis.
The AU committee on Libya is composed of five African heads of state. But the Nouakchott meeting was only attended by the presidents of Mauritania, Mali and Congo. South Africa and Uganda were represented by ministers.
The committee said it had been unable to get international permission to visit Tripoli on Sunday but did not elaborate.
Condemnation also came from the Arab League, whose support was critical in securing the Western alliance a UN Security Council resolution empowering them to enforce a no-fly zone in Libya.
"What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians," said Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa.