US embassy cable - 04HARARE1791

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 001791 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE/AF FOR NEULING 
 
AID FOR DCHA/OFDA FOR PRATT, KHANDAGLE, 
HALMRAST-SANCHEZ, GOTTLIEB 
DCHA/FFP FOR LANDIS CRUMBLY, MUTAMBA, 
PETERSEN, WELLER 
AFR/SA FOR FLEURET, COPSON, BAKER, MACNAIRN 
BRUSSELS FOR LERNER 
PRETORIA FOR DISKIN, HALE, SINK 
NAIROBI FOR SMITH, BROWN 
MASERU FOR AMB LOFTIS 
GABORONE FOR CASHION, BROWN 
ROME FOR FODAG FOR GAST 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, PREL, US, ZI, Humanitarian Situation 
SUBJECT:  Zimbabwe Emergency: Ambassador's Declaration 
          for FY05 Revalidation of Continuing Emergency 
 
Ref: (A) Harare 001594 (B) Harare 1734 (C) Harare 
001139; (D) Harare 000768 
 
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Summary 
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1.   The Ambassador has determined that the complex 
political, economic, social and humanitarian crisis 
facing Zimbabwe is of sufficient magnitude to warrant 
continued USG emergency assistance, and therefore 
requests continued assistance through USAID, including 
USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance. 
 
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Background 
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2.   USG humanitarian assistance for the complex crisis 
in Zimbabwe has totaled over $295 million from the 
USAID/DCHA Office of Food for Peace (FFP), and $16 
million from the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance 
(OFDA) since 2002. 
 
3.   Although the Government of Zimbabwe (GOZ) 
acknowledges the humanitarian needs highlighted in the 
UN Consolidated Appeal (CAP) for CY 2004, at the 
request of the central government, the UN will not 
launch a formal CAP for Zimbabwe for 2005. However, 
local and district authorities have publicly and 
privately expressed growing concern over the continued 
humanitarian needs among people in their areas. 
 
3.   Preparations for up-coming parliamentary 
elections, scheduled for March 2005, have created a 
highly charged political environment.  Mounting 
interference from government, increasingly limited 
humanitarian access to sensitive populations, and an 
elevated threat of political violence and intimidation 
are expected.  These factors are likely to further 
contribute to the increased vulnerability of some 
populations and their need for humanitarian assistance. 
 
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The Complex Humanitarian Crisis 
--------------------------------- 
 
4.   Zimbabweans are caught in a downward spiral of 
poverty, food insecurity, HIV/AIDs and natural 
resources degradation caused largely by counter 
productive macroeconomic and structural policies, 
distorting government controls, the disorderly 
implementation of the GOZ fast-track land reform 
program and general collapse of the rule of law.  The 
sharp economic decline and high inflation in Zimbabwe 
are having dire consequences for the country's 
population, notably rising unemployment, the rapid 
deterioration of social indicators and decreased 
purchasing power. The invasive and debilitating effects 
of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Zimbabwe intensify the 
current humanitarian crisis. 
 
5.   The GOZ continues to implement the land reform 
program, with the impact being increasing numbers of 
internally displaced people (IDPs), mostly ex- 
commercial farmworkers.  Recently, even the "A1" 
farmers, small or subsistence farmers or war veterans 
who were allowed to settle on farms taken over from 
former commercial farmers, have themselves been evicted 
from the land in order to make those farms available 
for those more politically connected  (Ref: A and B). 
 
6.   The food crisis in Zimbabwe, exacerbated by 
worsening input supply and financial constraints, is 
expected to continue into the 2004/05 marketing year. 
Food security calculations for Zimbabwe are severely 
hampered by the GOZ's lack of transparency, 
withholding of information about imports and national 
stocks, and cancellation of independent food security 
assessments (Ref: C and D).  All estimates, except 
those of the GOZ, point to a significant food gap. 
 
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Mission request 
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7.   Based on the complexity and magnitude of the 
continuing crisis, the Ambassador believes that the GOZ 
has neither the resources nor the capacity to respond 
effectively. The Ambassador therefore exercises 
disaster assistance authority to declare Zimbabwe to be 
in a state of complex emergency, and requests continued 
assistance by USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster 
Assistance during FY 2005, as well as continued support 
from the office of Food for Peace and the Office of 
Transitional Initiatives to implement an integrated 
strategy to mitigate the crisis and meet humanitarian 
needs in Zimbabwe. 
DELL