Maybe this is the preferred way for those that have an interest over there.
The money goes to a few, who spend most of that money on weapons and cause an intentional shortage of food, so the country can get foreign aid. Those shipments go to the leaders (stolen or hijacked, usually as soon as they hit the wharfs),and the people get zip.
I'm not sure, is there actually aid going into the country? Annan and his companions were going to assess the severity of the situation at the present. They are from the group called
"The Elders", formed by Nelson Mandela in 2007 to tackle global problems.
I just found a site that says Zimbabwe's government ordered all humanitarian aid groups to suspend their operations in the deeply impoverished nation, a prohibition that relief agencies estimate will deprive
two million people of food aid and other basic assistance. Even CARE, the largest aid group, was barred from providing humanitarian aid in the country, accusing it of siding with the political opposition.
It makes me wonder, if Mugabe isn't suffering from some
mental illness, like paranoia, obsession with power and disassociation from the suffering of his own people, of which he is the direct cause.
Zimbabwe halts aid groups and detains diplomats - International Herald Tribune
by MHz
"Zimbabwe produced an estimated 9779 t of nickel in 2004 and 9 516 t in 2003 a 0% change from the year before.
Cobalt production was estimated at 78.55 t in 2003. Among the base metals exploited in Zimbabwe, nickel predominates in terms of value....
Anglo American owns 53% of the Bindura Nickel Corporation (BNC) which consists of four mines, a smelter and refinery facilities....
BUT, MHz, they themselves don't have the means to operate successfully such facilities. On top of that Mugabe is hostile towards foreign investment companies, except they come from China or Malaysia.
In recent years, FDI has been
less than US$10 million annually, down from US$300-500
million in the mid-1990s.
He must have something against the Western countries. He likely still harbors hate against the Colonial Powers that exploited his country. That is obvious in his seizing all the "White" farms and giving them to his political buddies with no farming experience! Although I'm all for Zimbabweans owning their own land instead of being mere servants to foreigners, the land distribution was an ill planned, in many cases corrupt, policy.
Now he also threatens to seize any foreign investment and turn it over to Zimbabwean control:
The Government will consider majority foreign ownership
in high-priority projects, but will also encourage
arrangements for the eventual transfer of majority control
to Zimbabwean interests.
To read more in depth check out this link...
Zimbabwe
by MHz:
Cobalt is interesting, it is used in every cell-phone ever made, if I remember correctly.
Yes, that is interesting! I don't have a cellphone!;-)
So,
your cellphone could be made with cobalt from Zimbabwe? :smile:
Those metals would be a lot more expensive if the whole population was to benefit from the sale of these resources.
It seems they don't even have the money to buy the equipment needed to do these explorations themselves.
It's a shame people have to bear the brunt of bad management and rampant corruption and governmental violence.
Check out this website... I didn't know the Victoria Falls were in Zimbabwe!
Zimbabwe (11/0
