- HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwean
police arrested 12 white farmers on Friday who were defying a state order
to quit their land and make way for landless blacks, a farmers' lobby group
said.
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- They are the first farmers to be arrested since President
Robert Mugabe warned on September 4 that white opponents of his controversial
land reforms faced jail if they did not cooperate.
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- "Twelve farmers from the Triangle/Chiredzi (areas
in southern Zimbabwe) have been arrested and are due to spend the weekend
in jail," Justice for Agriculture (JAG) said in a statement.
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- Police spokesman Bothwell Mugariri said: "I'm not
aware of that. I will check that information out."
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- Mugabe had ordered 2,900 commercial farmers to quit their
land without compensation by August 8. JAG says some 2,500 farmers have
defied the initial orders. Police have charged more than 300 of them.
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