Zimbabwe lifts ban on aid agencies

Zimbabwe lifts ban on aid agencies - state media

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ZIMBABWE has lifted a ban on charities involved in food distribution and AIDS treatment, state media said Wednesday, ahead of next week's tense presidential run-off.

The state-run Herald cited the government's acting welfare secretary as saying a recently imposed ban on all aid work would not prevent AIDS patients from "accessing drugs and therapeutic feeding from clinics and hospitals".

Food programmes would also be allowed to continue since they do not "entail community mobilisation by NGOs," Sydney Mhishi said.

NGOs provide food and medicines to children and clinics, mostly in rural areas.

The announcement of the lifting of the ban comes a day after Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe met with a top UN official visiting the country to evaluate the political situation ahead of the run-off.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has previously called on Mugabe to allow aid to be distributed.

Zimbabwe is heavily reliant on aid, with the country facing the world's highest inflation rate and major food shortages.

It has also been hard hit by the AIDS epidemic, and charities had warned of a potential crisis if the ban was not lifted.

The government announced a blanket ban on aid work earlier this month after accusing NGOs of siding with the opposition ahead of the vote.

In comments published in the Herald on Monday, Mugabe accused aid groups of exploiting food shortages to turn voters against the ruling party during the first-round elections in March.

The ruling party then lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since independence from Britain in 1980.

Mugabe, speaking in early June at a meeting on the global food crisis in Rome, accused Western powers of seeking "illegal regime change" in Zimbabwe and of channeling support for the opposition through NGOs.

The 84-year-old leader lost to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in the March 29 first round presidential election, but official vote counts showed Tsvangirai just short of an outright majority. - AFP
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