Cablegate: Media Report Goz Bans Ngos From Distributing Food

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS HARARE 001649

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/PDPA FOR DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER
LONDON FOR GURNEY
PARIS FOR NEARY
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PHUM KPAO KMDR ZI
SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT GOZ BANS NGOS FROM DISTRIBUTING FOOD
RELIEF IN ZIM; HARARE

1. Under headline "Merchants of hunger" the independent
daily "The Daily News" dedicated its August 20
editorial to denouncing the government of Zimbabwe
(GOZ) for ordering donor agencies in Zimbabwe to
surrender all food aid to village headman.
Excerpts:

2. "Not content with the hunger and suffering imposed on
Zimbabweans by its ruinous land policies, the government is
now actively seeking to scuttle efforts by international
relief agencies to avert starvation in the country. In
total disregard of assurances given last year by none other
than director James Morris that the government would not
interfere with food aid distribution, the government last
week ordered donor groups to surrender all food aid to
village headmen. . .most of them known ruling ZANU PF
supporters. . .Why the government wants to wrest control
over food distribution from non-governmental organizations
(NGOs), which have been operating without interference from
any quarter, only (Social Welfare Minister July) Moyo and
his comrades in the government know. But knowing the
government's past record, Zimbabweans will be forgiven for
cynically concluding that this must be yet another attempt
by the ruling ZANU PF to maintain its stranglehold on
power. In its strange logic of putting its own political
survival before everything else, the government clearly
sees food aid as a political tool with which to buy support
or punish opponents. . . ."

SULLIVAN

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