|
Don't go to Zim - US
17/03/2005 08:56 - (SA)
Washington - The United States State Department cited Zimbabwe's history of violence before elections in warning Americans on Wednesday that they will risk harm if they travel to the country "in the midst of political and economic turmoil."
It issued a travel warning to "update information on security issues relating to elections and demonstrations." Parliamentary elections are scheduled March 31.
President Robert Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since the end of white-minority rule in 1980, has cracked down increasingly on dissent. He has had opposition leaders arrested, packed the courts with sympathetic judges and shuttered critical newspapers.
"Zimbabwe's economy is in a protracted state of decline, with extremely high rates of unemployment and inflation," said the State Department travel warning, which spoke of shortages of food and fuel and a significant increase in crime.
Because of the dwindling fuel supply, it said, some tourist facilities have closed on short notice.
"In the past, there have been incidents of violence in periods leading up to and following major elections," the warning said. "Reports of violent incidents are running well below levels prior to previous elections, but the possibility of increased violence before elections, including parliamentary elections scheduled for March 2005, cannot be excluded."
It advised Americans to avoid political rallies and other events that might spark political sensitivities. "Avoid commercial farms, especially those occupied by settlers or so-called `war veterans,' who are typically young government supporters acting with impunity outside the law," the warning said.
|
News
