|
Back to Index
This article participates on the following special index pages:
Operation Murambatsvina - Countrywide evictions of urban poor - Index of articles
UN
criticises Zimbabwe slum blitz
BBC
News
July 01, 2005
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4641961.stm
A UN envoy visiting
Zimbabwe has said that the authorities could have taken steps to minimise
the human impact of a controversial slum clearing programme.
Anna Tibaijuka told
the BBC that while urban development was important, the government should
have followed better procedures to avoid human misery.
Her visit follows
international anger over the demolitions, which have left an estimated
275,000 people homeless.
Officials say the
moves are aimed at removing criminals and reviving cities.
Ms Tibaijuka said
she would submit her report to the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan.
Her visit coincides
with Amnesty International reports that three more people have died during
the clearances.
On Thursday Ms Tibaijuka
visited the Porta Farm site where two women - one pregnant - and a boy
were reportedly killed, but said she was unable to confirm the report.
Over breakfast with
thousands of former residents of another site at Caledonia Farm, she said
something had to be done for the displaced people.
"I think it was very
clear that they all seem anxious to get their lives improved," she said,
quoted by AFP news agency.
"When I asked them
if they were happy, I got a resounding no. So definitely there are challenges
that we have to sort out," she said, quoted by AFP news agency, after
visiting the Caledonia Farm site.
In a separate move,
the World Food Programme (WFP) said Zimbabwe's current food shortages
made it one of the most worrying countries in the world.
Dialogue call
The
demolition programme began a month ago. At least three other children
have been killed during the operation.
Thousands of the displaced
people are now living on the streets, while others have gone back to rural
areas, and some have moved into unaffected parts of the cities.
UN Security Council
members criticised the demolitions.
Britain's ambassador
to the UN, Emyr Jones-Parry, said the government was to blame for many
of the problems facing Zimbabwe.
Acting US ambassador
Anne Patterson said America was deeply concerned about the demolition
scheme and urged the government to begin a dialogue with the opposition.
Meanwhile South African
has hit back at accusations that it has been silent about Zimbabwe's problems.
"President Thabo Mbeki
has been very clear on this - he went to Zimbabwe twice, and in the presence
of President Mugabe expressed his displeasure about things that were going
on in Zimbabwe," South African presidential spokesman Bheki Khumalo told
the BBC.
"The notion that we
have not spoken out is not true.
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
TOP
|
