Clare Short's Department for International Development has come under fire from senior MPs over Zimbabwe.

Short was criticised for not doing more to highlight the misery Zimbabwe is causing by prolonging food shortages in southern Africa.

The international development committee urged her to do more to explain how the controversial policies Mugabe's regime, such as land reform, were adding to the crisis facing the region.

"We believe that the UK government is failing to communicate clearly the ways in which Zimbabwe is exacerbating food insecurity in southern Africa," they said.

"DfID should explain clearly the culpability of Robert Mugabe's policies on land reform, and emphasise too that restrictions placed on the movement of genetically-modified maize had hampered the relief effort and contributed to the deteriorating situation across the region."

But the committee's report did praise Short for "responding generously" to the crisis in Southern Africa last year.

Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Lesotho and Swaziland are all facing a humanitarian crisis caused by food shortages and the Aids epidemic.

The Mugabe government's programme of land redistribution and only giving food to Zanu PF supporters has left more than half the population in need of food aid.

Added to this, 35 per cent of adults are HIV-positive.

Short's department is expected to spend £25 million this year on the humanitarian effort in Zimbabwe.

The committee warned that Africa is now the only continent moving backwards and failing to reach the Millennium Development Goals.

MPs gave their support to the department's strategy of taking a regional approach to giving early warnings to the international community of food crises.

They warned the same organised strategy was not being followed by international governments and non-governmental organisations.

"As part of its evaluation of the UK response to the southern Africa emergency, DfID should assess the effectiveness of its working relationships with international, regional and national partners, including NGOs, and should draw lessons for improved co-ordination," they said.