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Zimbabwe Should Lift Ban on Food and Aid Distribution by Humanitarian Organizations

Sunday, June 8, 2008
Posted in Human Rights | Tagged Human Rights

(New York) — Amnesty International today called on the government of Zimbabwe to immediately lift its ban on field operations by humanitarian aid organizations, accusing the government of Robert Mugabe of using food distribution for political ends. Amnesty International said that the restrictions will not only expose millions of people to hunger but also serve as a means for the government to prevent aid workers from witnessing sharply increased levels of state-sponsored political violence taking place in the country since presidential and parliamentary elections were held on March 29.”The government is attempting to hide the worst of the human rights violations taking place in the country,” said Amnesty International.

In addition, the government’s actions ensure it has a monopoly over food distribution through the state-controlled Grain Marketing Board (GMB) during the pre-election period.

Since 2000, Amnesty International has documented how GMB food has been used as a political tool against perceived government opponents.

“The Zimbabwean authorities must ensure that food is distributed to all on the basis of need — irrespective of real or perceived political affiliation,” said Amnesty International. “Humanitarian organizations should be allowed to go about their legitimate work without interference.”

The poorest Zimbabweans will be most affected by the ban. They will be increasingly exposed to life-threatening diseases, since the suspension affects water and sanitation projects. The ban will also severely impact the care of Zimbabwe’s more than 1 million children orphaned by AIDS, and the terminally ill who are on home-based care programs.

Notes
Without giving specific reasons for his action, the Zimbabwean Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Nicholas Goche, wrote to all private voluntary organizations and NGOs on June 4, instructing them to stop their operations.

This is not the first time that government policies and practices in Zimbabwe have exacerbated Zimbabwe’s food security problems. In 2005, Operation Murambatsvina, the government’s program of mass forced evictions, left hundreds of thousands of women, men and children homeless, without access to adequate food, water and sanitation, or healthcare.

Since 2000, adequate food has been unavailable to millions of people in Zimbabwe. The drop in domestic food production is a major cause of the crisis. While climatic factors, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and economic problems have all played a role in declining agricultural productivity, government policies and practices have exacerbated Zimbabwe’s food security problems.

For more information, please visit www.amnestyusa.org