Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe urges white farmers to turn land over to black farmers

HARARE, Zimbabwe, July 3 (UPI) -- Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, infamous for his strongman tactics, called on white farmers to turn over their land to black farmers.

Speaking at a rally with Zanu-PF supporters in Mashonaland West province on Wednesday, the 90-year-old Mugabe said "We say no to whites owning our land and they should go."

His remarks were reminiscent of a policy that began in 2000 in which the government reclaimed white farm land, a move that Mugabe's critics contend led to the country's economic collapse from 2000 to 2009.

"Don't be too kind to white farmers," Mugabe said Wednesday. "Land is yours, not theirs."

With only 100-150 white farmers left in Zimbabwe, Commercial Farmers Union director Hendricks Olivier told the BBC that the president's comments had unsettled white farmers. "We'd like to move forward and work with the government of the day."