Zimbabwe Backgrounder (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Dec. 27, 2001 |
| Report Number |
RL31229 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Raymond W. Copson, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
In late 2001, political tensions were mounting in Zimbabwe as a March 2002 presidential
election
approached. There were several incidents of political violence, and President Robert Mugabe issued
a new decree to accelerate the forcible takeover of white-owned farms. The move was widely
interpreted as violating a September 2001 agreement, signed in Abuja, Nigeria, committing the
government to proceed with land redistribution only with "due regard" for the rule of law. The
government was also preparing to introduce legislation to ban foreign reporters from Zimbabwe and
to require Zimbabwe journalists to be licensed. It had earlier indicated that only Zimbabwe civil
servants would be permitted to act as observers during the March vote.
Apart from its political difficulties, Zimbabwe faced a declining GDP; high rates of inflation,
unemployment, and poverty; and an HIV infection rate of 25% among adults aged 15 to 49. Food
shortages were feared, partly because of the turmoil in the country's agricultural sector, and partly
because of a severe drought in southern Zimbabwe. Officials acknowledged the need for food aid,
but said that they would not permit charities and international relief organizations to distribute
assistance. They claimed that such groups would use relief aid to interfere in the country's politics
and support the opposition.
On October 15, 2001, President Mugabe announced that Zimbabwe was abandoning free
market
reforms and returning to a socialist style economy. The move was judged likely to deepen
difficulties with the international financial institutions, which had already halted lending, and further
discourage potential investors.
Following the November 2001 assassination of a ruling party activist, President Mugabe
charged that the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was a "terrorist" organization,
leading many to expect an intensification of government action against the party. A poll showed
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai leading Mugabe in the presidential contest, but analysts believed
that Mugabe was determined to win in March at almost any cost. Britain, the United States, the
European Union, and many African leaders, including South African President Thabo Mbeki, were
pressing Mugabe to permit a free and fair vote. Many feared rising political turmoil in Zimbabwe
in coming months.
U.S. policy-makers once saw Zimbabwe as a source of political and economic stability in
southern Africa, but with the failure of Zimbabwe's economic reform program and mounting unrest
in the 1990s, U.S. assistance levels fell sharply. Aid came to focus on programs to strengthen
democracy, raise living standards among the poor, and fight the AIDS epidemic. In late 2001, the
United States announced the withdrawal of Peace Corps volunteers from Zimbabwe and strongly
criticized the Zimbabwe government for restrictions on the press. On December 11, Congress passed
the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001 ( S. 494 ), providing
pressures and incentives intended to promote peaceful and democratic change, equitable economic
growth, and a restoration of the rule of law.
