Evicted farmers warn of famine

Harare, Zimbabwe

President Robert Mugabe evicted thousands of white farmers from their farms this week as part of his program of land redistribution. He said those who cooperated with the government could retain some of their land, while those who did not would be forced out. Whites left over from the colonial era are a tiny minority in Zimbabwe, but they own more than two-thirds of the arable land. “There is no room for rapacious supremacists,” Mugabe said. The farmers said they accepted the idea of land reform, but argued that evictions would leave badly needed crops unharvested. “You can’t compromise production,” said the group Justice for Agriculture, “or you will have starving Zimbabweans.” Aid agencies predict that some 6 million people in the country could starve this winter.

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