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Amnesty accuses Zimbabwe govt of using food as political weapon

Amnesty accuses Zimbabwe govt of using food as political weapon
By Kingsley Kaswende in Harare
Tuesday June 10, 2008 [04:00]

AMNESTY International (AI) has accused the Zimbabwean government of using food as a political weapon and attempting to hide the worst of human rights violations taking place by banning activities of food aid organisations. The organisation said the banning of organisations such as Care International, Save the Children-UK and the Adventist Development and Relief Agency would only aggravate the food security situation in Zimbabwe.

“The suspension of field operations by all NGOs on the order of the Zimbabwean government is likely to increase food insecurity in Zimbabwe and expose millions of people to hunger,” said Amnesty International in a statement. “The suspension of NGO operations is yet another attempt by the government to manipulate food distribution for political ends.”

An estimated four million people are in need of food aid.

The human rights organisation said the suspension of humanitarian operations by NGOs would ensure that the government had 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 restrictions will not only have a detrimental effect on food security in Zimbabwe, but also serve as a means for the government to prevent aid workers from witnessing the sharply increased levels of state-sponsored political violence taking place in the country since presidential and parliamentary elections were held on 29 March,” the organisation said.

Save the Children-UK, one of the banned NGOs, said the suspension of aid would have appalling consequences for the country’s poorest and most vulnerable children.

“Without this lifeline, levels of malnutrition and disease will increase, and children could die as a result. More children will also be forced to drop out of school. We must be allowed to get back to delivering aid as soon as possible,” said Jasmine Whibread, chief executive officer of Save the Children. “We estimate that in areas we are working, many families’ food supplies will start to run out next month.

To help protect thousands of Zimbabwe’s poorest children from rising rates of malnutrition, the next delivery of food aid, such as maize, grain and cooking oil, should take place in August. However, because of the political impasse, the necessary preparation for this delivery has not been made.”

Whibread said aid agencies had been unable to gather essential information about the numbers and location of people requiring food aid for this coming year, meaning that thousands of families who will need food aid to survive until the next March harvest could be excluded.

“Last year, four million people in Zimbabwe were in need of food aid to survive, but because the recent harvest was so poor, this year the number is likely to be much higher. Some children we are working with are already trying to survive on one small meal a day, together with bitter wild fruit that they mix with ash to soften the taste,” Whibread said.

She said with agencies unable to deliver health care, clean water and basic sanitation supplies, such as soap, children were at increased risk of dying from diseases such as malaria, diarrhoea and cholera.

Zimbabwe last week banned aid agencies from distributing aid, accusing them of being used to further the MDC’s political agenda.

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posted by MrK @ 4:23 AM