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This article participates on the following special index pages:
Operation Murambatsvina - Countrywide evictions of urban poor - Index of articles
UN
prepares appeal to assist victims of 'cleanup' operations
IRIN
News
August
08, 2005
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48491
JOHANNESBURG
- The United Nations would like to launch an appeal to assist victims
of the Zimbabwe government's controversial cleanup campaign as soon
as possible.
UN Resident
Coordinator Dr Agostinho Zacarias told IRIN "we are hoping
to make the appeal this week, and we are discussing this with the
government".
The main aim
of the appeal was to provide "a humanitarian package, driven
by the need to provide shelter to stabilise the situation"
in the country after the mass demolitions of people's homes and
businesses during operation Murambatsvina ('Drive Out Filth').
A report by
UN Special Envoy Anna Tibaijuka said about 700,000 people had been
affected by the demolitions in and around urban centres, which "breached
both national and international human rights law provisions guiding
evictions" and had created "a humanitarian crisis".
Zacarias noted
that the current situation was "very fluid, with people moving
from one corner to the other - providing shelter will allow people
to stabilise their situation and then other assistance, such as
healthcare and education, can follow".
He explained
that the government would be allocating stands, or plots of land,
to people affected by the demolitions. "We'll put up tents
for them until they are able to erect their own structures; it's
an interim solution until they can build their own houses."
The request
for aid would allow humanitarian agencies to scale up their efforts
to meet increased needs in Zimbabwe.
"It is
packaged in a way that shows there is a continuation or a link between
humanitarian challenges and development. I don't see the government
refusing the [appeal] package, as they have in the past been nervous
about a continuous humanitarian package that does not seem to have
an end or a transition [from relief aid] into development,"
Zacarias noted.
The appeal has
been "divided into two phases: the first is aimed at addressing
the consequences of Operation Murambatsvina, and the second phase
will try and address vulnerability [in Zimbabwe] in general",
guided by objectives agreed to by the government.
Zacarias said
he hoped the appeal would be ready by Friday or Saturday.
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