Is history being repeated in Zimbabwe?
Zimbabwe’s government has banned 29 nongovernmental organizations from operating in one of the country’s provinces amid talks of possible national and presidential elections this year. The government said these local and international NGOs failed to renew their registrations.
“These organizations have left us with no choice except to suspend them from operating in the province with immediate effect as they have twice failed to submit to the requirements of our laws,” local newspaper The Herald quotes Masvingo province governor Titus Maluleke.
Reuters, however, notes the move is similar to the suspension of several NGOs ahead of the election in Zimbabwe in 2008. At the time, the suspension of aid groups hampered humanitarian aid efforts and election monitoring, the news agency says.
The 2008 ban affected food aid agencies and was eventually lifted the following year. The latest ban affects groups like Care International, the Zimbabwe Community Development Program and the Zimbabwe Peace Project.
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