Zimbabwe aid cutoff endangers 2 million people: UN

At least two million people in Zimbabwe face greater risk of starvation, homelessness and disease because the government ordered aid groups to halt operations there, according to the United Nations' top humanitarian official.

John Holmes, the UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, spoke Friday after the United States and Britain warned that Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's regime is using food and the threat of hunger as a weapon to cling to power ahead of the June 27 presidential runoff.

Much of the UN's aid in Zimbabwe is funnelled through non-governmental organizations.

"If voluntary organizations and NGOs are not able to work, humanitarian aid for at least two million of the most poor and vulnerable of Zimbabwe's people, particularly children, will be severely restricted, although we will do our best to make up for this," Holmes said.

On Thursday, Mugabe's government ordered aid groups to suspend field work indefinitely, saying they had violated the terms of their agreement. It has accused at least one group of campaigning for the opposition in the runoff between Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai.

The suspension order hampers aid delivery to more than four million people and puts at least two million at greater risk, according to the UN office for the co-ordination of humanitarian affairs.

Zimbabwe's UN ambassador, Boniface Chidyauskiku, said the relief agencies and the U.S. government have been using food as a political weapon, not Mugabe's government.

"They have gone out into the countryside and they have been telling Zimbabweans that if you don't vote for the opposition, if you don't change your vote, there's no food for you," he said.

"So it is the United States using food as a political weapon to effect a regime change in Zimbabwe. This is why we have suspended the activity."

U.S. Ambassador James McGee said Friday that Mugabe's government is distributing food mainly to supporters while people who support the opposition are offered food only if they hand in identification that would allow them to vote. McGee warned that "massive starvation" will result if the situation continues.

British Development Aid Secretary Douglas Alexander described it in similar terms.

"For Robert Mugabe to use the threat of hunger as a political weapon shows a callous contempt for human life," Alexander said.

"For the sake of millions of the poorest and most vulnerable people in Zimbabwe, aid must be allowed to get through."

Holmes stopped short of agreeing with the assessment.

"To describe it as using food as a weapon is a description I wouldn't put on it, at this stage anyway," he said.

Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, beat Mugabe in the March 29 first round, but fell short of the votes needed to avoid a runoff. As the runoff approaches, police have detained Tsvangirai twice and halted his party's rallies.

Movement for Democratic Change officials, blaming state agents, say at least 60 supporters have been killed in the past two months.