Mugabe 'using food aid as election threat'

Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe is using foreign food aid as a weapon to intimidate voters in the forthcoming presidential run-off election, a watchdog group said today.

Charities there have been told to curb activities and there is concern that will hinder the delivery of aid and food to millions of people.

“The decision to let people go hungry is yet another attempt to use food as a political tool to intimidate voters ahead of an election,” said a spokeswoman for Human Rights Watch.

“President Mugabe’s government has a long history of using food to control the election outcome.”

Critics blame Mugabe’s land reform policies for the country’s economic collapse, which has left Zimbabwe struggling to feed its people.

Mugabe has accused the West of using non-governmental organisations to channel funds to the Opposition.

Mugabe, the country’s long-time ruler, will face Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in the presidential run-off June 27. Opponents worry Mugabe will try to steal the election.

Rights groups have criticised the violence and intimidation in the run-up to the vote.

At least 58 opposition supporters have been killed. Thousands have been driven from their homes, especially in rural areas, where Mugabe lost much support in the first round of voting.

Human Rights Watch called on the government to let aid agencies carry on with their work.

“It’s imperative that the government ensure that all those in need receive food irrespective of political affiliation,” said the spokeswoman.

She said aid agencies working in Binga, Chipinge, Chimanimani, and Nyanga districts have also been forced to halt operations, “indicating that the government is imposing its control over food aid countrywide.”

Save the Children has had operations shut down in Binga but was continuing other work, an official for the organisation.

The official said aid groups have been told by district administrators in various areas to stop operations but that “it was not all NGOs, not all areas and not all activities.”

A spokesman for Plan International said the organisation had already decided to scale back operations before the runoff.

“We continue to work with communities in Zimbabwe, albeit at a reduced level. Our operations remain under constant review,” he said.

A spokeswoman for Oxfam, said food shortages of 1.4 million tons are predicted, which will put many Zimbabweans in dire need.

She said the effects of food shortages would be felt in August and “immediate action is needed to avert this crisis.”

Under present circumstances, Hooper-Box said, Oxfam’s ability to provide humanitarian relief in rural areas is “extremely limited.”

“We would like to see secure access for non-partisan humanitarian aid agencies providing relief based on need alone,” she said.

Peter Smerdon, a spokesman for the World Food Programme said it had not been affected but some of the organisations with which it worked with had been.