Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe on Wednesday blamed former colonial ruler Britain for ”compromising” his country’s battle against HIV/Aids by trying to block anti-Aids funds from global organisations.
However, Mugabe paid tribute to the Geneva-based Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria for releasing funds to Harare in May this year.
”We have suffered further setbacks through the unjustified British-led international demonisation of our country, which has seen some international donors and multinational agencies withholding their humanitarian support,” Mugabe said in a speech broadcast on state television to mark World Aids day on Thursday.
”I must commend the global fund for rising above cheap political considerations and seeing humanitarian value in assisting out programmes to control the HIV and Aids epidemic,” said Mugabe.
Earlier, the government said that about 7% of about 280 000 people in need of anti-retroviral drugs for HIV/Aids are receiving the treatment, a figure it hopes will rise next year.
Mugabe said efforts to roll out such drugs have been hampered not only by their increasing cost and a shortage of foreign exchange, but by Britain’s ”demonisation of our country”.
Britain, which ruled what was known as Rhodesia until independence in 1980, regularly condemns Mugabe for what London terms rampant human rights abuses.
Mugabe regularly responds by insisting Britain is seeking to reimpose its control over his country by unfairly encouraging international criticism. — Sapa-AFP