What is the
current situation in Zimbabwe?
More than half the population are threatened with deliberate starvation.
Fuel is in such short supply that businesses are grinding to a halt.
Famine Early Warning System found that only 50% of the land is being
cultivated this year.
There is a natural drought and Mugabe controls the food supplies.
He plans to feed his supporters and starve the people he does not
want.
Morgan Tvangarai, leader of the main opposition party Movement for
Democratic Change (MCD), is due to stand trial on 3 February for allegedly
plotting to have Mugabe assassinated.
There has been a dramatic increase in state torture and unwarranted
arrests. This is believed to be due to fears within the Mugabe regime
that anti-Mugabe demonstrations are being planned to coincide with
the Cricket World Cup.
Recently two members of the opposition were arrested and the Mayor
of Harare was detained for 48 hours before being released without
charge. Dozens more have been beaten.
Government-recruited militia are refusing food to anyone suspected
of supporting the MDC.
Because of international mistrust of Mugabe, aid levels are only at
40% of what is necessary to meet the food shortage (comment from a
British official organizing the aid effort in Zimbabwe Guardian,
10th November 2002). It is thought that survival strategies will begin
to fail early in 2003, at which point people will begin to die of
starvation.
Isn't this just about white farmers losing their land?
No, Mugabe is
using violence against the white farmers as a smoke-screen. And he
is being very successful:
The violence focussed the world's media on the land issue.
Mugabe generated resentment within the country against the white farmers,
so they will support Mugabe to recover the land. Creating unrest furthers
his political ends and keeps political opposition - including in his
own party - at bay.
There are now
5,000 white farmers who have been forced to leave their farms and
home in Zimbabwe. Six million balck Zimbabweans who are identified
as supporting the opposition party are under the threat of starvation
and undergo rape and torture by the Mugabe regime.
Is this an ethnic or tribal conflict?
No and yes.
The main ethnic
group is the Shona people (71%). Both Mugabe and the MDC opposition
leader are Shona.
Mugabe wants to
eliminate anyone who opposes him, even his own Shona people. He is
more interested in power than ethnic loyalties, so his enemies are
identified by whether they vote for him rather than their race.
Yet it happens
though that many people from the minority Ndebele tribe oppose Mugabe
and support the MDC.
Therefore there
is an ethnic dimension to this, too.
Why don't other African neighbours help more?
Attempts to complain
about Mugabe's regime are rebuffed by the line that this is white
people trying to protect white people. Most of the world believes
Mugabe - including other African countries. So he continues his rule
with impunity. It is important to show the millions of black people
under threat of death in Zimbabwe that we care about them. This is
our chance to prove Mugabe wrong. It is a strong message to give to
the people of Zimbabwe.
Why don't those who oppose Mugabe in Zimbabwe do more?
Many people in
Zimbabwe are opposed to Mugabe. They are faced with an environment
of terror and suppression, which means that it is difficult and dangerous
to muster significant resources for demonstrations. Starvation is
hampering morale and the growing network of informers and youth militia
means that it is nearly impossible to develop sufficient momentum
to overthrow the regime. Those who support Mugabe receive food, those
who don't must go hungry.
What was the Abuja Agreement?
The Abuja Agreement
was ratified on the 6th September 2001, as part of the
Commonwealth's attempts to solve the crisis in Zimbabwe. The deal
was in response to the occupation and acquisition of white farms in
Zimbabwe and was designed to prevent bloodshed in return for aid.
By the time the deal was made, nine farmers had been killed. Mugabe's
government had identified about 5,000 white-owned farms for acquisition
- about 60 per cent of the 30 million acres that the government says
is held by whites. Militants have occupied about 1,700 of them. At
that time too, the EU was considering imposing smart sanctions on
the Mugabe regime.
In the terms of
the deal Britain would:
- Give £36m
of aid to Zimbabwe
- Encourage other
donors to contribute to the land reform process
The international
community would:
- "respond
positively to any request from the government of Zimbabwe in support
of the electoral process."
- A United Nations
Development Programme would assist the Zimbabwe government in the
land reform programme.
On the condition
that Zimbabwe would guarantee:
- No further
occupations of white-owned farms
- To restore
the rule of law to the process of land reform
- The principle
of freedom of expression
- To take firm
action against violence and intimidation
- That occupiers
would be removed from land not designated for redistribution, which
had been illegally occupied.
Unfortunately
the agreement was not upheld by the Zimbabwean government and the
deal collapsed.
Original Abuja
Agreement Story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/
Further comment:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Mugabe Reneges:
http://www.observer.co.uk/
