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English/Nat Mobs have set fire to a white-owned tobacco farm in Hwedza, eastern Zimbabwe, petrol-bombing the farm house and assaulting the farm's black workforce. An unspecified number of workers were being treated at a hospital in the provincial center of Marondera, 45 miles east of Harare, according to the Commercial Farmers Union. Tension over who has the right to Zimbabwe's farm land has raged since armed squatters began taking over white-owned farms in February. Government backed mobs attacked the Deen tobacco estate in eastern Zimbabwe on Sunday, setting fire to outlying barns and warehouses on Sunday. The buildings were still smouldering on Monday. Local white farmers say millions of Zimbabwean dollars worth of tobacco have been destroyed, just days before the crop was due to go on the market. A group of 150 so-called war veterans have been in the area for the past few days, targeting commercial farms and their workforces. Tobacco is Zimbabwe's main source of foreign exchange- farmers say the loss will hit the country hard. SOUNDBITE: (English) "This is a big loss to the country. This is about 8 or 9 million (Zimbabwean) dollars (U-S 142,000 dollars to U-S 161,000 dollars) worth of tobacco and our country need foreign currency very badly and this is what they are doing. So it's completely out of control and we don't know what's going on." SUPERCAPTION: Ben Fouri, neighbour of Deen farm The mob also through a petrol bomb into the Deen farmhouse, shattering windows and badly burning the inside of the house. The owner of Deen farm says has lost everything. SOUNDBITE: (English) I just can't get over it. I can't think. You know, this is my life savings. I worked hard and I am old, as you can see. What do I do now? I just don't know what to say. SUPER CAPTION: Neville Tatson, owner of farm Violence against the white farmer and his property continues in Zimbabwe. But observers say the so-called war veterans and supporters of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe are now turning their attention away from the white farmer. They say their aim is now to intimidate black farm workers who oppose the Mugabe regime, in order to secure rural votes. These tobacco workers were badly beaten by the mob- some had broken bones and other wound. Opponents of the government accuse Mugabe of allowing the violent occupation of white-owned farms to shore up his flagging popularity ahead of nation elections expected to be called in May. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/1418308ab20289d072f5e04c6697f477 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork