Mugabe 'holding back food to keep grip on power'

President Robert Mugabe's government is withholding food from opposition supporters and prolonging the Zimbabwean food crisis to keep its grip on power, a human rights group alleged yesterday. "The political abuse of food is the most serious and widespread human rights violation in Zimbabwe at this time," the report by the Danish group, Physicians for Human Rights, said.

The group said supporters of the Movement for Democratic Change were denied the right to buy government grain in 16 districts and cities, many were thrown out of public meetings where grain purchases were discussed and the names of others were left off lists of approved grain buyers.

In one district, 27 people accused of being MDC supporters were allegedly forced out of a food-for-work programme. In another, only ruling party supporters were allowed to buy grain at the government price. The local ruling party sold the rest for up to 10 times that price.

The group criticised the government for keeping its monopoly on the import and sale of food, saying the grain shortage was being drawn out. An estimated 6.7 million people face starvation after severe drought in Zimbabwe, aggravated by Mr Mugabe's controversial land reform policy. The report also said international food aid from the UN World Food Programme, which supplies the most needy in Zimbabwe, was being manipulated. One woman was told by community leaders who make lists of those needing WFP help that she would have to surrender her MDC card publicly and buy a ruling party card before she could be added. She agreed, the report said.

A spokesman for the World Food Programme, which has warned President Mugabe that interference in its operations would result in its withdrawal from Zimbabwe, denied the incidents involving its operations were politically motivated. Last month, the WFP suspended relief in the western district of Insiza after Zanu-PF militants threatened aid workers.