Zimbabwe on the verge of man-made starvation, reveals UN expert


Devdiscourse News Desk | Harare | Updated: 28-11-2019 20:55 IST | Created: 28-11-2019 20:55 IST
Zimbabwe on the verge of man-made starvation, reveals UN expert
“I urgently call on the government, all political parties, and the international community to come together to put an end to this spiraling crisis before it morphs into a full-blown conflict,” Hilal Elver said. Image Credit: Flickr
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  • Zimbabwe

Despite the constitutional protection of the right to food and a sophisticated set of human-rights based national laws and policies, man-made starvation is slowly making its way in Zimbabwe, said the UN expert of the right to food after visiting the country from November 18 to 28, 2019.

"More than 60 percent of the population of a country once seen as the breadbasket of Africa is now considered food-insecure, with most households unable to obtain enough food to meet basic needs due to hyperinflation," said Hilal Elver, Special Rapporteur on the right to food, presenting a preliminary statement at the end of an 11-day visit.

“In rural areas, a staggering 5.5 million people are currently facing food insecurity, as poor rains and erratic weather patterns are impacting harvests and livelihoods. In urban areas, an estimated 2.2 million people are food-insecure and lack access to minimum public services, including health and safe water,” Hilal Elver opined.

“These are shocking figures and the crisis continues to worsen due to poverty and high unemployment, widespread corruption, severe price instabilities, lack of purchasing power, poor agricultural productivity, natural disasters, recurrent droughts and unilateral economic sanctions,” Elver said. Women and children were bearing the brunt of the crisis, Elver added.

“I urgently call on the government, all political parties, and the international community to come together to put an end to this spiraling crisis before it morphs into a full-blown conflict,” she said. The consequences of hunger have been dire, Elver said. School dropouts, early marriage, domestic violence, prostitution, and sexual exploitation are on the rise.

“These are shocking figures and the crisis continues to worsen,” Elver said. Where food items are available most people have no money to buy, she said. Critics blame the administration of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who has struggled to fulfil promises of prosperity since taking power in 2017 after the forced resignation of longtime leader Robert Mugabe.

“The Zimbabweans I spoke to in Harare and its suburbs explained that even if food was widely available in markets, the erosion of their incomes combined with an inflation skyrocketing to over 490 percent, made them suffer from food insecurity, also impacting the middle-class,” Elver added.

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