Leaders from the 14 nations of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) again rallied behind Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe on Thursday, after a two-day summit that ended with few concrete decisions.
Zimbabwe’s neighbours have largely remained mute on the ongoing crisis in a once-vibrant nation that now needs international aid to feed its population.
A final declaration said ”the summit pledged continued support” for Mugabe, who briefed the delegates on his controversial land reform programmes.
The reforms, and Mugabe’s controversial re-election in March, have been slammed by some Western governments, which have slapped sanctions on his regime.
”We are convinced that the ongoing land reform in that country is aimed at the rational, fair and equitable distribution of land to be used for the benefit of the people of Zimbabwe,” Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa said at the summit’s closing ceremony.
”We in SADC remain united in appreciating the need for, and supporting, land reform in Zimbabwe,” he said.
Zimbabwe denies charges that the scheme to expropriate
white-owned farms and turn them over to the black majority has contributed to the food crisis by slashing production.
Harvests of maize, the staple grain, have fallen by more than 70% since Mugabe’s land reforms began two years ago. Almost half of the nearly 13 million people currently at risk of starvation in drought-stricken southern Africa live in Zimbabwe, according to UN statistics.
The country, once an exporter of grains, suffered a 1,8 million ton shortfall during the last harvest, which has contributed to the shortages in neighbouring countries.
The effects of Zimbabwe’s isolation by Western countries burst into the discussions in the Angolan capital Luanda. Diplomats said bitter debates took place among SADC leaders over a US decision not to take part in an annual meeting with SADC if a Zimbabwean delegation attends.
The SADC-US Forum is an annual meeting to review US development projects and other affairs in the region. The United States did not recognise Mugabe’s re-election in March, citing widespread political violence and claims of vote fraud, and considers his government illegitimate.
Delegates at the summit debated how to continue the meetings, possibly at a less formal level with a SADC team from a few nations representing the interests the region. SADC officials had wanted the meeting to take place in Malawi before the year ends.
While the summit did not agree to take any specific action on the regional famine, Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos urged the region to ”lead a true crusade against famine” and ”to reduce the suffering” of people affected by the food shortages.
”We should give a collective response to the great challenges of poverty, education, health, food security and combating terrorism,” he said.
The statement also thanked the UN World Food Programme and South Africa for their efforts to combat the famine and severe drought affecting six SADC nations.
The two-day meeting was the first among SADC heads of state and government to take place in Angola, which ended a 27-year civil war with a ceasefire on April 4.
The summit repeatedly praised Angola for making its ceasefire stick and declared support for recent peace efforts in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
A final declaration voiced support for Angola’s ”ongoing efforts aimed at providing assistance to demobilised soldiers, orphans, internally displaced people and the population affected” by the civil war.
The SADC nations are Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, the Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. – Sapa-AFP