Zimbabwe reverses food aid ban

Food is increasingly scarce across Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe's government has lifted a ban on aid organisations, whose work was restricted ahead of the controversial presidential run-off in June.

President Robert Mugabe accused the agencies of backing the opposition.

It is estimated that two million people need aid, with that number set to rise to five million by early next year.

The lifting of the ban comes as negotiators met in South Africa to try to revive crisis power-sharing talks, which broke up two weeks ago.

The negotiations were suspended over how to share power between Mr Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who both claim victory in the polls.

The BBC's Karen Allen says both sides appear to have hardened their positions during the hiatus.

President Mugabe says he will form a government alone, while opposition MPs this week jeered him in public.

Deputy South African Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said he hoped the negotiation would lead to the "finalisation of... outstanding matters".

'Worst on record'

The aid agencies always denied government accusations that they were helping the opposition.

Critics said the ban was imposed to tighten the government's control of food aid - the ruling party was accused of not distributing aid to opposition areas.

Since the ban was imposed, aid agencies were banned from going to rural areas, leaving hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people without food.

We also know that thousands of children have had to drop out of school in order to try and find food for their families Save the Children's Rachel Pound

Correspondents says another failed harvest has added to the problem for ordinary Zimbabweans who struggle to make ends meet in the midst of economic collapse and hyperinflation.

UK charity Save the Children says a 120-strong team will be heading back to its operational areas next week.

"It's impossible to know how bad the situation has got until we're on the ground, although our local partners have confirmed our fears of increased rates of malnutrition among children," the aid agency's country director, Rachel Pounds, said in a statement.

"We also know that thousands of children have had to drop out of school in order to try and find food for their families.

"We fear some girls will have been forced into prostitution, and that others will have been pushed into early marriage with their families unable to look after them."

On Thursday, the Red Cross federation made an urgent appeal for almost $27m.

It said this year the food security situation was likely to be the worst on record, because of soaring prices and the lack of foreign currency to pay for imports.

Before the power-sharing talks broke up earlier this month, both sides agreed that Mr Tsvangirai would be named prime minister but they could not agree on how to divide powers between him and Mr Mugabe.

Mr Mugabe was humiliated during his speech before MPs

The opposition wants Mr Mugabe to become a ceremonial figure, while the ruling Zanu-PF party wants the president to retain most powers, such as appointing ministers and the security forces.

Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says that if Mr Mugabe names a cabinet unilaterally, that would scupper the talks.

The negotiations between senior officials from both parties are taking place at a secret location near the South African capital, Pretoria.

South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki has been charged with mediating a solution to Zimbabwe's political crisis.

On Tuesday, MDC MPs heckled and jeered Mr Mugabe when he formally opened parliament against their wishes.

The MDC has a majority in parliament and its chairman Lovemore Moyo was elected speaker of parliament on Monday.

Following the March elections, Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF lost its majority in the House of Assembly for the first time since independence in 1980.

Mr Tsvangirai won the first presidential round in March, before pulling out of a June run-off, citing a campaign of violence against his supporters.

The MDC says some 200 people were killed and 200,000 forced from their homes.