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persons in the aftermath of Operation Murambatsvina" In May 2005, the Zimbabwean government's program of forced evictions and demolitions, known us Operation Murambatsvina ("Clear the filth"), left an estimated 700,000 people homeless, and led to a massive humanitarian crisis. Operation Murambatsvina has led to large-scale internal displacement, with hundreds of thousands of people sleeping outside in the open on disused fields or porches, in the bush, in overcrowded dwellings or shelters assembled from pieces of tin and plastic. They have little or no access to food, water, sanitation or medical assistance. Internally displaced persons also face significant threats, including harassment and abuse by the Zimbabwe Republic Police, restrictions on freedom of movement and possible forced return to the rural areas where there is little or no access to humanitarian assistance. The government of Zimbabwe refused to acknowledge the scale of humanitarian crisis and failed to provide assistance and protection to hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the evictions. The government also effectively blocked assistance provided by local and international aid agencies and the United Nations. Five months into the crisis, the U.N. country team in Zimbabwe also has not managed to reach the majority of the internally displaced with basic forms of assistance, including shelter, food, and health services, or take decisive action to provide protection to the vulnerable population. Human Rights Watch's new report documents the desperate plight of people displaced by Operation Murambatsvina and the failure of the Zimbabwean government and the international community to assist and protect the internally displaced. The photographs were taken by Human Rights Watch researches during their mission to Zimbabwe in September-October 2005.
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