A black farm worker in Zimbabwe has been set alight and others were beaten in one of the most violent incidents in the recent crisis. The attack happened shortly after white farmers from around the country returned to their land, after securing an agreement with so-called war veterans, supporters of the President, Robert Mugabe, who have occupied farms in recent weeks. The victims of the latest violence said that they were assaulted by a group of around 150 war veterans, who told them they would be killed for supporting the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
White farmers met with war veterans earlier today in an attempt to work out a solution to the present land crisis. After the meeting, held in one of the areas worst hit by recent violence, a spokesman for the Commercial Farmers' Union said that the veterans had agreed to quell the violence but none of the war veterans at the meeting, some of whom wore military uniforms, would comment. They have agreed to meet again on Wednesday. About 1,000 white-owned farms have been invaded in the past two months by thousands of squatters led by veterans of Zimbabwe's independence war, who say they are reclaiming land stolen by colonialists.
In an incident yesterday, a farm manager was taken hostage and later released. The veterans are demanding that the minority white farming population agree to a fairer distribution of land. However, some reports suggest that they are also concerned about white farmers' support for opposition movements, who are demanding democratic reform of President Mugabe's regime. Two farmers have been killed in the disturbances so far.
