WORLD> Africa
UN mission expected to visit Zimbabwe this month
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-02-13 16:37

HARARE -- A United Nations humanitarian mission will visit Zimbabwe this month to assess the country's needs and how the world body could provide assistance, The Herald reported on Friday.

The mission, to run between February 21 and 25, follows a meeting between Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon on the sidelines of the 12th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly of heads of state and government held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, recently.

According to a statement released by the world body, the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs would lead the mission that will also include participation of the World Health Organisation, United Nations Children's Fund and World Food Program.

Mugabe has said the mission is free to visit the country.

Zimbabwe is facing a number of challenges like the outbreak of cholera and shortage of essentials like drugs and foreign currency.

The challenges are attributed to the illegal sanctions imposed on the country by the West led by Britain.

On Monday, the UN said it had allocated $11 million to Zimbabwe to fund life-saving programs in the country under its Central Emergency Response Fund.

This is in addition to the $7.8 million that the UN provided to Zimbabwe on January 30 to fight cholera.