Zim orders 3 charities to quit
2008-06-04 14:43
Special Report
President Jacob Zuma has urged the Commonwealth to re-admit Zimbabwe to the group.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe says he doesn't expect the US sanctions on his country to be lifted soon.
Harare - Zimbabwe has ordered aid groups Save the Children UK, CARE International and ADRA to stop work in the country immediately, the director of a national NGO association said on Wednesday.
The government has sent letters to the groups issuing the orders, said Cephas Zinhumwe, chief executive of the National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (NANGO).
Zinhumwe said he had met with the three organisations he named as being sent the letters.
"If we continue like this, we are going to have a crisis," he told AFP. "The situation is ugly."
Many Zimbabweans, particularly in rural areas, rely on food aid due to shortages of basic commodities such as cooking oil and cornmeal.
NANGO had earlier issued a statement saying several unnamed organisations had been ordered to cease operations over accusations that they campaigned for the opposition ahead of an upcoming presidential run-off election.
The association said it was "deeply disturbed by the fact that several NGOs, including those in the humanitarian sector, have been banned from delivering humanitarian assistance and other crucial services they are registered to deliver".
- AFP