Leaders debate Zimbabwe crisis

Squatters have ransacked and destroyed farms

Leaders of southern African nations are expected to put pressure on Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe to end the escalating violence in his country at a summit on Friday.

The summit, which will take place in the Zimbabwean resort town of Victoria Falls, was called to discuss ending the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

War veterans have been squatting on the land

It comes at a time when fresh violence is erupting on white-owned farms in Zimbabwe, despite repeated promises from war veterans' leaders of a temporary end to hostilities, and Zimbabwe is expected to be a key item on the agenda.

International pressure on President Mugabe has so far had no effect and some countries, including Britain, are said to have contacted regional leaders to ask them to continue the diplomatic push for the restoration of law and order.

African leaders

Leaders present include South African President Thabo Mbeki and Namibia's Sam Nujoma.

Zimbabwe land facts

Total population: 12.5m

White population: 70,000 (about 0.6%)

70% prime agricultural land white-owned (11m hectares)

1m blacks own 16m hectares - often in drought-prone regions

White-owned farms: 4,500

Mr Nujoma is very close to President Mugabe, but he and others have so far said very little about the violence.

But correspondents say Mr Mbeki could use his personal experience of helping to manage a peaceful transition to democracy in South Africa during a time of racial division and widespread poverty.

Over the past two months, war veterans from Zimbabwe's war of independence and government supporters have illegally occupied more than 1,000 white-owned farms.

Murders

Two white farmers, two black members of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and a black policeman have been killed, and two rapes have also been reported.

Many white farmers have abandoned their farms, which have then been taken over and ransacked by war veterans.

A wake was held in Harare on Thursday for the two MDC workers who died in a petrol-bomb attack on Saturday.

On Wednesday, Mr Mugabe said the veterans - who have led the occupations - would not withdraw until the farmers made clear what land they intended to hand over.

And in an interview with the BBC, he said he did not want international help, such as from the United Nations, to ease the land crisis.

Representatives of the war veterans and the white farmers union will meet on 28 April.

A representative of the Commercial Farmers Union has said that in the interest of "national unity" he believed a solution would be reached.