Zimbabwe bars humanitarian mission

WATCH VIDEO

Source: CCTV.com | 11-23-2008 11:26

Former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, says he and his colleagues planning a humanitarian mission in Zimbabwe have been refused entry.

A young girl walks through sewage water in the Harare  township of Dzivaresekwa. Former US president Jimmy Carter  has accused Zimbabwe's government of being "immune" to the  hardships of its people as he and ex-UN chief Kofi Annan  were denied entry on a humanitarian mission.(AFP)

Annan and two other members of the Elders Group -- former US President Jimmy Carter and Nelson Mandela's wife, rights advocate Graca [GRAH sah] Machel [mah SHEL] -- had planned to assess the country's humanitarian needs.

Disease and hunger are stalking Zimbabweans, while a political crisis occupies its politicians. Annan told a news conference in Johannesburg that no official reason had been given for the refusal. He says the group will continue its work and try to increase assistance to the Zimbabwean people.