Zimbabwean president calls for unconditional lifting of sanctions

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Sunday called for the unconditional lifting of sanctions imposed by Western countries on Zimbabwe, saying the measures constrain economic development.

In a speech marking the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Anti-Sanctions Day held annually on October 25, Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe was making progress in its development aspirations despite the sanctions, stressing that regional integration was crucial to achieving the country’s development goals.

The SADC Anti-Sanctions Day was established by the 16-member regional organisation in 2019 as a collective initiative to denounce the sanctions, which were imposed on Zimbabwe following the country’s land reform program that redistributed land from minority white farmers to indigenous black Zimbabweans.

“Sanctions not only punish our country but the entire SADC family and infringe Zimbabwe’s role in advancing an integrated Africa,” said Mnangagwa, who also expressed appreciation to SADC member states for supporting the call to remove the unilateral sanctions.

“This reflects our shared commitment to a just and fair global order, where the principles of sovereign equality, non-interference in the internal affairs and the sovereign right of every country to chart its own destiny are respected,” said Mnangagwa.

He called for increased regional integration, saying SADC and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa offered opportunities to improve regional connectivity and strengthen cooperation in trade, industry, agriculture, energy and infrastructure.

Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe would broaden international partnerships and deepen regional integration to drive economic transformation, while pursuing diplomatic and domestic measures to lift sanctions and boost industrial competitiveness.

He also reaffirmed Zimbabwe’s commitment to multilateralism, international cooperation, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.

The United States enacted the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act in December 2001, restricting its support for multilateral financial assistance to Zimbabwe.

In March 2024, former US President Joe Biden signed an executive order terminating a Zimbabwe sanctions programme that had been in force since 2003 but immediately imposed sanctions on 11 individuals, including Mnangagwa and Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, over alleged human rights abuses and corruption under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.