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June 04, 2008

Relief Agencies in Zimbabwe Ordered to Halt Aid Work

The government of Zimbabwe has ordered aid groups to halt all relief work there until after the election runoff on June 27 between President Robert Mugabe and his opponent, the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, reports The New York Times.

Human-rights groups and aid workers said they believe the restrictions are meant to prevent them from witnessing violent nighttime attacks on opposition supporters and others that Mr. Mugabe’s government sees as a threat to its hold on power.

CARE, Mercy Corps, Plan International, and Save the Children are among the groups told to cease relief operations in the county, aid workers said. Meanwhile, many Zimbabweans are struggling to survive in the face of the country’s economic collapse, unemployment that has risen to 80 percent, and soaring food prices.

Yesterday, officials from the United Nations Children’s Fund said that 10,000 children have been displaced by the violence, many have been beaten, and some schools have been taken over by pro-government forces and turned into centers of torture.

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