Cape Town - The chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has once again demanded the immediate and unconditional lifting of sanctions against institutions and individuals of Zimbabwe, the commission said in a statement this week.
The continental union consisting of 55 member states says it supports the Southern African Development Community SADC statement on the issue.
Faki Mahamat says he is extremely concerned by the negative impact of the unilateral sanctions on Zimbabwe's socio-economic development amid the current global food and energy crises, including post Covid-19 recovery efforts.
Meanwhile, the SADC on Thursday also demanded the immediate cessation of economic sanctions on Zimbabwe, saying it was deeply concerned by the claim that sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by western powers were of a targeted nature aimed at unilaterally punishing a few individuals.
In a statement on 25 October, SADC Chairperson and Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi Tshilombo reaffirmed the 16-member regional bloc’s solidarity with the government and people of Zimbabwe and reiterated calls for the unconditional and immediate lifting of the sanctions that were imposed on Zimbabwean individuals and institutions.
Tshisekedi Tshlombo said the reality of the sanctions was that there was a spill-over and contagion effect on the rest of the country, in particular by imposing a blanket negative perception about Zimbabwe across the world.
This perception results in the country being unable to attract the much-needed Foreign Direct Investment, lines of credit and other financial services that are essential to the socio-economic development of the country, Tshlombo said.
Since 2003, the US Department of the Treasury has imposed targeted financial sanctions against individuals and entities in connection with the undermining of democracy, human rights abuses, or public corruption.
In response to former president Robert Mugabe’s continued repression, the US also imposed visa restrictions on certain individuals, a ban on the transfer of defence items and services destined for or originating in Zimbabwe, and suspended certain government assistance.
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