Zimbabwe's corrupt government has inflicted hardship and strife on its population for the last seven years. President Mugabe controls Zimbabwe as his personal fiefdom and eagerly intimidates, uproots, or kills any who dissent. In early August the U.N. called for donor countries to contribute more humanitarian assistance to a population starved by Mugabe's policies. The deplorable conditions Zimbabwe must live through are unjustifiable by any means.
Given the daily struggle to survive, removing or denying food and other humanitarian aid will only make this struggle more difficult. Scores of people will die of hunger, thirst, and inadequate health care if the international aid stops. While stopping the aid will lead to immediate hardship and horror, it may also be the only way short of invasion or assassination to bring an end to the reign of Mugabe. Providing aid prolongs the misery of the people. It allows them to continue subsisting under a broken government. Denying aid to Zimbabwe will contribute to the collapse of the government by bringing the people to a point where they will no longer tolerate the corruption of the current government.
Some may ask how anyone can make a decision that causes such hardship and overlooks the clear humanitarian needs of a people. I wonder how any nation can continue to support aid programs which indirectly support a corrupt government.
UN Calls for Dramatic Increase in Emergency Food Aid for Zimbabwe
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