MICHAEL HOLMES, WORLD NEWS: In Zimbabwe, the crisis over white- owned farm land has reached the country's high court on Monday. Farmers want the implementation of a ruling that makes the occupation of their land by supporters of the government illegal. But the government argues it is powerless to evict the illegal squatters. CNN's Bob Coen reports.</s>BOB COEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Veterans of Zimbabwe's independence war and other government supporters continue to occupy hundreds of white-owned farms around the country, demanding that the land be handed over to them. The latest numbers released by the union representing the white farmers show that almost 1,000 farms have been affected since the occupations began in February. Reports of violence against the farmers have also increased in recent days.</s>WILLIAM HUGHES, CFU ACTING PRESIDENT: In some cases, it has been violent, and we'd like the police to react to help to remove the squatters from the farms.</s>COEN: On Monday, in the capital of Harare, the high court heard an urgent new appeal brought by the farmers union against Zimbabwe's police force. The union says the police have failed to evict those blacks occupying their farms. The police say that despite a court order to do so, they lack the manpower and the equipment to effectively deal with the protesters. They say that even if they did, police action could spark off uncontrollable violence. Judgment on the farmers' latest appeal has been postponed until later this week. Many here accuse Zimbabwe's government of using the land issue to drum up support ahead of upcoming elections. Last week, Zimbabwe's President Mugabe said the squatters would not be forced to withdraw from the farms they have occupied. There are fears that the president's endorsement will only encourage more occupations, and there are reports that there are actually more being planned for the next few days. Bob Coen, CNN, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Squatters Crisis in Zimbabwe Reaches High Court