Page 11 - aruba-today-20171223

A11
WORLD NEWS Saturday 23 december 2017

1st white farmer gets land back under Zimbabwe’s new leader

By FARAI MUTSAKA land reform program led by
Associated Press Mugabe.
TANDI, Zimbabwe (AP) — A Whites make up less than
white Zimbabwean farmer 1 percent of the southern
evicted by the govern- African country’s popula-
ment of Robert Mugabe tion, but they owned huge
has returned to a hero’s tracts of land while blacks
welcome as the first to get remained in largely unpro-
his land back under the ductive areas.
new president, in a sign of The evictions were meant
reform on an issue that had to address colonial land
hastened the country’s in- ownership imbalances
ternational isolation. skewed against blacks,
With a military escort, Rob- Mugabe said. Some in the
ert Smart made his way international community
into Lesbury farm about responded with outrage
200 kilometers (124 miles) and sanctions.
east of the capital, Harare, Of the roughly 4,500 white
on Thursday to cheers and farmers before the land re-
song by dozens of workers forms began in 2000, only a
and community members. few hundred are left.
Such scenes were once But Mugabe is gone, resign-
unthinkable in a country ing last month after the mili-
where land ownership is an tary and ruling party turned Farmers, Darryn, left and Robert Smart, right, are welcomed back to their farm, Lesbury, by
emotional issue with politi- against him amid fears workers and community members Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017 in Tandi, Zimbabwe. The family who
were evicted by gun-wielding police and a mob associated with the ruling party returned to a
cal and racial overtones. that his wife was position- hero’s welcome, in a sign that the new president is charting a path away from predecessor Robert
“We have come to reclaim ing herself to take power. Mugabe on an issue that had hastened the country’s international isolation.
our farm,” sang black New President Emmerson (AP Photo/Farai Musaka)
women and men, rushing Mnangagwa, a longtime villagers in song to wel- Press. Smart’s return, fa- at the latest, the new presi-
into the compound. Mugabe ally but stung by come his family home. cilitated by Mnangagwa’s dent is desperate to bring
Two decades ago, their his firing as vice president, “Oh, Darryn,” one woman government, could mark back foreign investors and
arrival would have meant has promised to undo some cried, dashing to embrace a new turn in the politics of resolve a severe currency
that Smart and his family land reforms as he seeks to Smart’s son. land ownership. During his shortage, mass unemploy-
would have to leave. Rul- revive the once-prosperous In a flash, dozens followed inauguration last month, ment and dramatic price
ing ZANU-PF party support- economy. her. Some ululated, and Mnangagwa described the increases. Zimbabwe is
ers, led by veterans of the Smart is the first to have his others waved triumphant land reform as “inevitable,” mainly agricultural, with 80
1970s war against white farm returned. On Thurs- fists in the air. calling land management percent of the population
minority rule, evicted many day, some war veterans “I am ecstatic. Words can- key to economic recovery. depending on it for their
of Zimbabwe’s white farm- and local traditional lead- not describe the feeling,” Months before an election livelihoods, according to
ers under an often violent ers joined farm workers and Darryn told The Associated scheduled for August 2018 government figures.q

South Sudan warring sides sign cease-fire for Christmas Eve

By ELIAS MESERET agreed to grant badly over a million people have threaten further sanctions. ated Press that they will re-
Associated Press needed humanitarian ac- fled abroad, creating the “This is a gift to South Suda- spect the agreement but
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) cess to conflict-affected world’s fastest-growing ref- nese people to celebrate said the rebels were ready
— South Sudan’s warring areas after days of talks in ugee crisis. their Christmas and New to defend themselves of
factions on Thursday signed neighboring Ethiopia bro- The U.S. called the deal Year. This is the most pre- the government did not.
a new agreement to cease kered by the Intergovern- “the last chance for the im- cious gift of all time,” Ethio- “I doubt if it will hold but we
hostilities and protect civil- mental Authority on Devel- plementation of the peace pia’s foreign minister, Worki- will abide by it as we have
ians in the latest effort to opment regional bloc. process.” Past attempts at neh Gebeyehu, said during always done,” he said.
calm a devastating civil South Sudan is entering its peace deals have stum- the signing ceremony. “But The agreement also calls
war, as diplomatic observ- fifth year of civil war, and bled amid renewed vio- as past experience has on the warring sides to
ers issued sharp warnings no one knows how many lence. The new deal is an showed, implementation release prisoners of war,
against allowing yet anoth- tens of thousands of peo- effort to salvage a 2015 is the longer and more dif- political prisoners and ab-
er peace deal to fail. ple have been killed in peace agreement. ficult aspect . many critical ducted women and chil-
The cease-fire is set to be- the world’s youngest na- South Sudan’s government issues lie ahead.” dren, who have been vic-
gin first thing Sunday morn- tion. Parts of the East Af- is under growing pressure A spokesman for South Su- tims of widespread sexual
ing, or Christmas Eve. rican country are on the to find an end to the civil dan’s opposition, Lam Paul violence and recruitment
The warring sides also brink of famine, and well war as the U.S. and others Gabriel, told The Associ- as child soldiers.q