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| Zimbabwe's land crisis -- simmering since the former Rhodesia secured independence from Britain in 1980 -- erupted into turmoil and chaos in February 2000 when veterans of the war for independence and others began illegally occupying white-owned farms. At issue is President Robert Mugabe's long-standing promise to take over some of the land held by whites since colonial days and redistribute it to the nation's poor blacks, who comprise 75 percent of the population.
The government pushes ahead with its land reform program, despite fears it could lead to a meltdown that would destabilize a region facing an AIDS epidemic and severe economic hardship. |
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