U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has voiced alarm that the fast-eroding humanitarian situation will worsen and nearly half the country’s population would need U.N. food assistance! While approximately six million out of Zimbabwe’s population will need foreign food aid, this grim statistic belies a wider point; Zimbabwe was formerly one of Africa’s agricultural breadbaskets, and a major food exporter to much of the continent. Today the breadbasket has tragically been turned into a humanitarian basket case.

Right now the U.N.’s World Food Program (WFP) is feeding four million people in the beleaguered southern African land. During October WFP distributed 29,000 tons of foods to vulnerable families, now for November the agency has doubled the number of beneficiaries but the available supplies will not increase significantly. This WFP will be forced to feed more people with fewer resources which naturally means a cutback in rations for the most vulnerable people. The group concedes that just to keep the humanitarian pipeline open, until the expected peak of the crisis in March, it shall require US$140 million in funding.

The current crisis has been caused by a disastrous harvest, caused by both weather and indeed the catastrophically callous government policies during recent years. Among other things, Mugabe’s socialist regime has confiscated farmlands, many held by the minority white community, and has triggered a deepening food crisis. Beyond shortages, hyperinflation of 231 million percent has made workers salaries and savings totally worthless thus forcing people to live on barter and scarce supplies of U.S. dollars. A U.N. relief official states that only 20 percent of eligible students are now attending school.

As the summer rains begin, a cholera crisis has deepened with 9,000 cases diagnosed so far. This epidemic which can rapidly spread, threatens the region given refugee flows.

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