Zimbabwe Updates 1/29/09


Jan 29th, 2009 3:25 PM UTC
By Steve Wilson

s2-09-003_eye_on_zimbabwe

  • President Obama spoke by phone yesterday with South African President Kgalema Motlanthe and said Pretoria had an important role to play in helping resolve Zimbabwe’s political crisis. “President Obama emphasized the importance of South Africa’s leadership role as a strong and vibrant democracy in Africa. The two leaders discussed their shared concerns about the situation in Zimbabwe,” the White House said in a statement.
  • Zimbabwe’s unemployment rate has spiked to 94 percent, meaning that fewer than half a million people in the country are formally employed, the UN’s humanitarian arm said today. “At close of 2008, only six percent of the population was formally employed, down from 30 percent in 2003,” said a report from the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
  • And the dire news continues from Zimbabwe as more than half of the country’s population will need food aid in February and March, the World Food Program (WFP) said on Thursday. The WFP said in a statement that it aims to assist 5.1 million people in February while a group of U.S.-sponsored aid organizations plans to assist 1.8 million more people in the southern African country.

-Steve Wilson

TAGS: Barack Obama, Eye on Zimbabwe, Policy News, Zimbabwe

  1. Faith S Evanssays: Jan 29th, 2009 10:56 PM EST

    January 29, 2009 at 10:56 pm

    I was born and bread in Zimbabwe, I know from Zimbabwe got its independence. The freedom fighters for ZImbabw are tough. They think the country will be going back to the Western people. I am so greatful for the current administration because they will not feel the country will be conlonised by Western countries.

  2. Steve B.says: Feb 4th, 2009 10:11 PM EST

    February 4, 2009 at 10:11 pm

    I’ve seen now, a few posts like this. Yet not a single person here at ONE.org/bloggy, minus me (in the time that I’ve been here), has ever tried to have a conversation with those opposed to outside help. Sure, it looks like a hit and run post, but you never know when that person is actually watching, waiting for the opportunity. Are ONE.org supporters/bloggers too busy, or was this persons post not worth the time?

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