The European Union sanctions on Zimbabwe for another 12 months, citing a lack of progress in implementing a power-sharing accord. A unity government formed last year between President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the opposition, is beset by trouble, with no agreement over how to share executive power. The pair struck a power-sharing deal in 2008 that was supposed to end a crisis aggravated by disputed elections, but they have failed to agree on political reforms that would clear the way for new elections. "In view of the situation in Zimbabwe, in particular the lack of progress in the implementation of the Global Political Agreement signed in September 2008, the restrictive measures ... should be extended for a further period of 12 months," the official journal of the European Union said on Tuesday.

 

The SADC mediated Global Political Agreement talks between ZANU PF and the two MDC formations appear to be on the brink of collapse again, sources said on Tuesday. The talks failed to take off once again on Monday but resumed on Tuesday evening, according to a senior MDC official who confirmed the talks had begun at a Harare hotel. According to the sources, ZANU PF and the MDC-T will never shift their positions over the appointments of Gideon Gono and Johannes Tomana as the Reserve Bank governor and Attorney-General. The MDC-T is demanding that the appointments be reversed but ZANU PF insists that this will not happen. In light of this dispute, the MDC-T has said the negotiations, being held in Harare, will fail to come up with a compromise and want the talks declared a deadlock. They also want SADC to intervene.

 

Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said the country needs US$500 million to ease the effects of drought in several provinces. Aid agencies said more than one million Zimbabweans are in need of food aid, but donor nations have been slow to respond to a humanitarian appeal. Tsvangirai said the food situation was catastrophic. He has toured Matabeleland North and South, as well as the Midlands Province. Rain has not fallen for weeks in parts of the country and crops are a write-off. To make matters worse villagers are saying that some local chiefs are giving food to only Zanu-PF members. The US$500 million is a huge bill for the government to foot unless donors come to the country’s aid, and that is not guaranteed though. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said donations for an earlier humanitarian appeal have only met 2.4 percent of the target. ENDS

 

This month marks ten years since the beginning of Zimbabwe's land-reform program. In February, 2000, Zimbabweans rejected a government-backed draft constitution in a referendum.  It was the first time President Robert Mugabe, in power since independence in 1980, was defeated at the polls. One of the provisions of that draft would have allowed the government to expropriate white-owned agricultural land for the resettlement of landless blacks. The proposal would only compensate the farmers for improvements on the farms, such as buildings and equipment. The former colonial power, Britain, would pay the farmers for the land they had lost. The British government denied that responsibility. The rejection of the draft constitution set off what became known as the fast-track land-reform program. It was called the Third Chimurenga, or revolution in the Shona language.