US sanctions leave Zimbabweans suffering

HARARE－Opposite the US embassy northwest of the Zimbabwean capital Harare, an anti-sanctions camp marked 1,200 days of protest.

On July 4, the organizer of the camp, the Broad Alliance Against Sanctions, or BAAS, held a demonstration outside the US embassy compound as the US was observing Independence Day.

"We're demonstrating against the Americans for celebrating their Independence Day, while we are suffering because of their sanctions," said Jesca Vhiyai, a BAAS member and mother of five.

The 48-year-old woman spoke out due to the agony afflicting millions of Zimbabweans from decades of sanctions imposed by the United States and its Western allies. The anti-sanctions lobby BAAS said their camp, which was set up on March 29, 2019, would only be removed when the sanctions are lifted.

Sanctions against Zimbabwe have been piled on since 2001, following a government decision to repossess land from minority white farmers for redistribution to landless indigenous Zimbabweans.

Though the Zimbabwean government said the land reform would promote democracy and the economy, Western countries launched repeated sanctions with little regard for the average person's suffering.

Over the years, Zimbabweans have spoken out against the sanctions. BAAS is one of the staunchest. "So, we are here to stay until they remove these illegal embargoes that they have enforced on our nation," BAAS spokesperson Sally Ngoni said.

She said they would soon build an anti-sanctions village at the campsite, adding that they want people in the US to "feel the pinch "by seeing how the sanctions have impacted the lives of the poor.

In June, The Herald newspaper reported that Andela, an international job placement network for software developers, had denied Zimbabwean national Michael Nyamande from joining the service because he resided in a country under US sanctions.

"Sanctions are actually targeted at the ordinary men and women in the street, in the townships, in the rural areas," said Obert Gutu, member of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission and former deputy minister of justice and legal affairs.

Describing sanctions as a weapon of mass destruction, Gutu said Zimbabwe has failed to build new roads, hospitals, clinics or even rehabilitate old infrastructure because it "has been denied access to affordable finance by international institutions".

Xinhua