SANF 24 no 29 by SARDC Writers
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has thanked southern African leaders for their unwavering support for Zimbabwe against illegal sanctions imposed on the country and he condemned the use of punitive measures in response to disputes.
Speaking at the opening of the 44th Summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Harare, Mnangagwa expressed gratitude to SADC member states for standing by Zimbabwe against economic sanctions imposed on the country since 2002.
“May I once again express my sincere appreciation to you all, for your calls for the immediate and unconditional lifting of the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by our detractors,” Mnangagwa said as he accepted the rotating SADC leadership from the President of Angola, João Lourenço.
Zimbabwe has grappled with economic sanctions since 2002 when the United States, through the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZIDERA), imposed an embargo on the country in response to the land reform programme and the leading role played by Zimbabwe in the SADC intervention in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1998 in support of the government there.
Some other western countries, including the United Kingdom and the European Union, also imposed sanctions on some companies and government officials.
These have however been gradually reviewed over time following re-engagement efforts by President Mnangagwa’s government.
“Zimbabwe is a friend to all and an enemy of none,” President Mnangagwa said.
In solidarity with Zimbabwe, SADC, at the 39th Summit of Heads of State and Government, declared 25 October as Anti-Sanctions Day, encouraging the 16 member states to collectively voice their disapproval of the sanctions through various activities and platforms.
The impact of the sanctions not only affects Zimbabwe, but the region as a whole.
A 2021 report by the United Nations Special Rapporteur, Aleana Douha said the sanctions violate international law and that Zimbabwe does not have to comply with them.
It said the sanctions have had an “insidious ripple effect” on the economy of Zimbabwe and on the enjoyment of fundamental human rights, including access to health, food, safe drinking water and sanitation, education and employment.
Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe believes in dialogue and diplomacy as the sustainable route for the resolution of conflict and disputes.
“We strongly condemn the use of sanctions and other coercive measures as a foreign policy tool.”
He also called for an end of the conflict in Palestine and appealed for the respect of UN resolutions on the two-state solution.
Another SADC member state, South Africa, is at the forefront of global efforts to pressure Israel to halt its 10-month-old military offensive against Palestine, which has killed more than 40,000 civilians since October 2023 and injured more than 100,000, causing widespread destruction in Gaza, and depriving the people of food, water and shelter.
Using various means such as approaching the International Court of Justice and lobbying the Inter-Parliamentary Union, South Africa has sought to exert international pressure on Israel to end the offensive.
Mnangagwa also called for international pressure to push for the independence of Western Sahara, saying that, “The independence of the peoples of Western Saharawi is long overdue”.
SADC convened a Conference on Solidarity with the Saharawi People in 2019 during which the heads of state and government expressed the region’s support for decolonisation and self-determination for Western Sahara.
SADC’s collaboration on and with Western Sahara has been informed by the region’s own decolonisation experiences and the quest for liberation and self-determination, and this declaration affirmed SADC’s support for the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic’s right to self-determination and independence. sardc.net
