In a country that suffers 85% or more unemployment in addition to living on foreign food subsidies, the threat of going hungry is serious. Zimbabwe is a country which used to be the bread basket of the region. Robert Mugabe and his supporters have beaten, killed, tortured and now making these threats and there is every reason to believe they will be carried out. While Iraq and the region may be uninterested no matter how many US billions we throw their way, the people of Zimbabwe regularly put it all on the line.
The US ambassador in Harare accused government officials yesterday of blackmailing opposition supporters, by denying them food unless they surrendered their national identity card and thus gave up their right to vote.
Mr Mugabe is no stranger to using food as a political weapon in a country where many people are locked into a desperate struggle to put the next meal on the table. By suspending all aid groups operating in the country on Thursday he has once again concentrated crucial supplies into the hands of his cronies.
