A foundation for rebuilding Zimbabwe

BY SHANNON HORST

AFTER A DECADE OF economic deterioration, followed by rising opposition to the ruling party, a stolen election, and state-supported violence, Zimbabwe's long-serving President Robert Mugabe and leader of the opposition Morgan Tsvangarai signed a "unity agreement" last year.

So far, hopes that they could work together have not been realized. Recent reviews by regional political bodies have identified numerous ways in which Mugabe is blocking the agreement. The United Nations, the Organization for African Unity, and others have tried to quell the violence and to influence Mugabe (and others in the ruling party) to find homegrown lasting solutions without success. Amid the ongoing power struggle, state-supported violence continues—on farms, in villages, and in the cities. Members of the media and opposition are still being harassed, jailed, murdered, and indicted on trumped-up charges.

In the rural areas millions, long dependent on food aid, are hungry. And little assistance is available, because most of the food aid providers were forced out. Two deeply troubling trends are on the rise: the nation's suspected involvement in illegal and bloody trade in blood diamonds, and increasing economic exploitation of the nation's resources by China.

About the author

Shannon Horst has worked in Zimbabwe off and on for the last 20 years in the field of sustainable agriculture, and recently returned from two weeks' work in the country.

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