Mugabe appoints 'war cabinet'

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has sworn in what he calls a "war cabinet" to fight opposition from Britain and its allies as well as the country's economic problems.

The new cabinet took shape on Monday, three days after Mugabe sacked his internationally-respected Finance Minister Simba Makoni.

Mugabe, 78, took oaths of office and allegiance from 50 ministers and their deputies.

Makoni was replaced by cabinet veteran Herbert Murerwa, the former industry and trade minister.

Hardliners who kept their posts included Agriculture Minister Joseph Made, who headed chaotic and often violent seizures of white-owned farms, and Information Minister Jonathan Moyo, the architect of new media laws that have seen at least 12 journalists arrested and charged this year.

CNN NewsPass VIDEO Zimbabwe orders white farmers to hand over their lands. CNN's Cynde Strand reports (August 12) Play video   EXTRA INFORMATION Profile: Robert Mugabe

Militant Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, who led a reform of the judiciary, also remained in office.

The state-owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) quoted Mugabe as saying that his new team would fight opposition from Britain and its allies as well as the country's economic problems.

"Addressing the media after a swearing-in ceremony, President Robert Mugabe described the new cabinet as 'a fully fledged war council set to fight the country's economic problems," ZBC said.

"He also described the cabinet as a political war cabinet which will take into account the actions being taken by Britain and its allies against Zimbabwe."

He added: "The new Cabinet will be as close to the ground as possible. What Zimbabwe needs is a Cabinet of people always on their feet."

Mugabe, who dissolved his cabinet on Friday, faces mounting international opposition to his forced transfer of white-owned commercial farms to landless blacks.

About 2,900 farmers -- employing an estimated 230,000 workers -- were ordered off their land, although some 60 percent have refused to comply.

Nearly 200 have so far been arrested.

With famine looming in its worst economic crisis since independence in 1980, the country faces growing international isolation.

On Sunday, four Norwegian politicians and a Norwegian Red Cross representative were turned away from Zimbabwe after arriving on a pre-arranged fact-finding mission. (Story)

Australia has said the controversial land seizures amount to ethnic cleansing.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told Australian Channel 10 Television on Sunday that his government was considering new sanctions against Zimbabwe.

"President Mugabe appears to be entirely oblivious to the views of the international community. He's effectively conducting a policy of ethnic cleansing on the farms," he said. (Story)

Last week, Zimbabwe accused the United States and Britain of mounting a "racist" campaign against Mugabe to maintain white economic dominance in southern Africa.

It followed the U.S. statement that it did not consider Mugabe as a legitimate leader.

"The legitimacy of our political system or our president is not dependent on America, Britain or any other country, but on Zimbabweans," a senior Zimbabwean foreign affairs official told Reuters.

"The bullying tactics that America and Britain are using against us are meant to frustrate our quest for social and economic justice, to stop our program to redistribute some of the very large tracts of land held by whites here to the indigenous black people."