HARARE – Zimbabwe’s humanitarian situation remains a “significant challenge” while donors remain reluctant to give support, pledging only less than half of the US$718 million required to fight hunger and disease in the African country, the United Nations (UN) said Wednesday.

The world body said Zimbabwe continued to face food shortages and remained at risk of killer epidemics such as cholera that killed 4 288 people out of 98 592 infections between August 2008 and July 2009.

“Although Zimbabwe is not facing armed conflict, humanitarian threats such as food shortages and outbreak of diseases such as cholera pose a significant challenge,” said UN humanitarian coordinator in Zimbabwe, Agostinho Zacarias, at a ceremony in Harare to mark World Humanitarian Day.

"Sadly, only 44 percent of Zimbabwe's appeal of US$718 million had been raised by the end of July," Zacarias said.

UN officials said the same problems that helped spread cholera remained unresolved, with six million people or half of the country’s total population of 12 million people with little or no access to safe water and sanitation.

Head of the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Zimbabwe, Fernando Arroyo, said: “When you analyse the causes of the cholera crisis or any other crisis in Zimbabwe, we find the common thing; the chronic deterioration of the infrastructure and basic social services.”

A junior Zimbabwe government minister Rueben Marumahoko said while problems remained Zimbabwe was no longer a “country in crisis” adding the battered nation was now looking to boost recovery efforts.

He said: “The humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe has improved . . . Zimbabwe is no longer a country in crisis but a country in recovery.”

A power-sharing government formed by President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Premier Arthur Mutambara has promised to rebuild Zimbabwe’s economy and restore basic services such as water supplies, health and education that had virtually collapsed after years of recession.

But the administration, which says it needs US$10 billion to revive the economy, could fail to deliver on its promise unless it is able to unlock financial support from Western governments that have remained reluctant to provide aid until they see evidence that Mugabe is committed to genuinely share power with Tsvangirai. 

An ongoing strike for more pay by doctors and nurses – who had returned to work only six months ago after formation of the unity government – has highlighted the immense difficulties facing the unity government that analysts say must not be allowed to fail or Zimbabwe could quickly degenerate into a full-blown failed state in the style of anarchic Somalia. – ZimOnline