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Operation Murambatsvina - Countrywide evictions of urban poor - Index of articles
UN representative calls Zimbabwe crisis massive internal displacement
United Nations
July 29, 2005
http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/
The Representative
of the Secretary-General on the human rights of internally displaced
persons issued the following statement today:
The Representative of the UN Secretary-General on the human rights
of internally displaced persons, Professor Walter Kälin, today
called for recognition of the evictions in Zimbabwe as a situation
of massive internal displacement.
"What has been suspected has now become clear following the report
of the Secretary-General's Special Envoy Anna Tibaijuka last Friday:
in Zimbabwe we are facing a situation of massive internal displacement",
Mr. Kälin said.
The Envoy's report, issued last Friday, cited 92,460 homes destroyed,
within a matter of weeks, affecting an estimated 569,685 people.
"Destruction of homes and forced movement of people on such a scale
comes squarely within the definition of internal displacement, which
covers people forced to leave their homes to avoid human rights
violations and other disasters, whether human-made or natural. What
underscores the tragedy", the Representative added, "is that this
crisis has been, from the start, entirely avoidable".
"The Zimbabwean Government's action is incompatible with international
law in many respects", the Representative said. The UN's Guiding
Principles on Internal Displacement set forth the rights of internally
displaced persons under international law and the obligations of
States. "These Principles", the Representative stated, "are based
upon and reflect human rights obligations also accepted by Zimbabwe".
They protect against arbitrary displacement in the first place and
require due process, adequate notice, appropriate relocation and
minimisation of adverse effects. They also require appropriate provision
of the necessities of life to displaced persons, protection of their
property, as well as offer voluntary choices to displaced persons
as to where they will return. "On each and every of these points,
the Government of Zimbabwe has fallen far short of its obligations".
The Representative called on the Government of Zimbabwe and the
United Nations presence in Zimbabwe to respond urgently to the needs
of the internally displaced. "What has already happened cannot be
undone. What is now critical is that swift action be taken to protect
the rights of the displaced – they are entitled to proper shelter,
food, water and health care, and equal access to education for their
children. They also have the right under international law to compensation
for the loss of lawful possessions, and to freely choose their future
place of residence". The Representative was confident that with
rapid action on the part of the United Nations in conjunction with
the Government of Zimbabwe, "ongoing violations of human rights
on the massive scale we have witnessed can be quickly brought to
an end, and the task of putting people's lives back together again
can begin. The half-million displaced deserve, and are under law
entitled to, no less than that".
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HR05091e
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