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| Africa: Subsaharan | |||
| Evicted Zimbabweans moved to 'transit camp' | |||
| 2005-06-22 | |||
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) -- State radio said Wednesday people displaced by a government eviction campaign were being provided for in a "transit camp."
The U.N. estimates up to 1.5 million people were left homeless after police burned or demolished their shacks in what the government calls a clean up campaign in the cities. The political opposition, which has its base among the urban poor, says the 4-week-old Operation Murambatsvina, or Drive Out Trash, is meant to punish its supporters. The government said Tuesday that besides knocking down shacks and the kiosks of street vendors, police were intensifying efforts to destroy vegetable gardens the urban poor plant in vacant lots around Harare, saying the plots threatened the environment. The pro-government Daily Mirror reported Wednesday that there had been rioting by scores of people resisting demolitions in the Marondera and Wedza townships, 110 kilometers (68 miles) east of Harare on Tuesday. Police spokesman Darlington Mathuthu told the newspaper police had to call for reinforcements and arrested at least eight people who had been involved in running battles with security forces. Such violence has not been uncommon since the campaign started May 19. Thousands of urban poor have had their homes burned or bulldozed, or pulled them down themselves on orders given at gunpoint. Babies, the terminally ill and the elderly have been forced to sleep out in freezing midwinter temperatures. State radio, though, said Wednesday some of those displaced had been moved to a farm 30 kilometers (19 miles) east of Harare. The broadcast said charities were working with the government of President Robert Mugabe to turn the site "into a healthy comfortable destination." "Some families have already been resettled after vetting," said Inspector Eunice Marange, the police officer in charge of what the state radio said was a "transit camp" at Caledonia. "The Ministry of Health and Child Welfare has since moved in to vaccinate children and provide other services, while accommodation, water and food have also been made available," Marange told the radio.
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| Posted by:Steve |
| #2 Frustration with the debt relief for Africa people. Look at these animals and moonbats that are in power on that continent. Your a fool to send them a nickle. Might as well cancel the debt because Lord know's they'll never repay it. Aids money is a waste of time since the masses which could rise up against these corrupt regimes are already dead! The elderly and infants are quite easy to move around by well fed government machete thugs with retrovirals. Basically the continent is a loss. Forget aid and aids programs. The UN if it had any balls (NO BOLTON NO BALLS) it would use it's stablization forces to change regimes or bring back the colonialists. |
| Posted by: Rightwing 2005-06-22 10:52 |
| #1 During the weekend, independent journalists reported there was one toilet for 3,000 people at Caledonia Farm, with new arrivals required to register with local ZANU-PF officials before they were allowed to line up for it. They also reported a heavy presence at Caledonia of secret police agents who said they wanted to hear what the people said and to see who visited them. Yeah, Guantanamo's such a hellhole. Oh, wait. This ain't Guantanamo? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-06-22 10:34 |