For those of us - governments, NGOs, members of the public - who have watched the tragedy of Zimbabwe unfold over recent years, this latest appalling attack comes as little surprise: it is a symptom of a country in crisis. An economy in free-fall - GDP down 50 percent since 2000 and inflation set to top 5,000 percent. A quarter of the population dependent on food aid, four in every five without a job, and the one of the lowest life expectancies in the world: a girl born in Zimbabwe today will, on average, die before she reaches 35. Little wonder that between three and four million people have already had to leave their country and their homes to find a better life elsewhere.
We in Britain have always been clear on Zimbabwe. We want change for the better - joining the millions of Zimbabwean voices calling for their own government to listen to its people, take heed and change. But the regime controls the media and portrays Mugabe as standing up for the rights of Africans against outside interference. So we have a twin focus. First we are doing what we can to alleviate the suffering of Zimbabwe's people, while making sure that assistance is not being exploited to prop-up the regime itself. In the past five years, we have given over 140 million directly to humanitarian assistance projects and to help combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic which has infected one in five Zimbabweans. That money is helping to keep millions of people alive. And we are also offering a full consular service to the large community of people there with ties to the UK.
