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Rufaro Samanga
Oct. 25, 2019 04:50AM EST

Thousands of Zimbabweans March Against Economic Sanctions Imposed by the West

Zimbabweans hope the anti-sanctions march will result in the lifting of economic sanctions imposed by the West.

Zimbabwe's economy continues on its downward spiral. After the infamous "coup-not-coup" of last year, which saw the ousting of former president Robert Mugabe after almost a four decade-long rule, current president Emmerson Mnangagwa and his cabinet are yet to inspire any confidence in Zimbabweans. A few days ago, the country embarked on an "anti-sanctions crusade" which included prayer sessions and the declaration of a public holiday. More recently, thousands of Zimbabweans are participating in a nationwide march which hopes to see the economic sanctions imposed by America and the European Union lifted. However, both America and the European Union have been clear that sanctions will only be lifted following economic and political reforms.

Zimbabwe has been facing economic sanctions since Mugabe was in power. America, the European Union, Australia and several others have maintained that because of alleged human rights violations, rigged elections and the expropriation of land from White farmers, the sanctions will remain in place. American ambassador Brian Nichols said in an interview with Zimbabwe's Trevor Ncube that, "The perception of the issues in Zimbabwe is driven by the actions of the government of Zimbabwe both in the run up to and in the wake of the elections in 2018."

READ: Zimbabwean Police Are Using Violence to Disperse Peaceful Protesters

Members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are reportedly also in attendance to show their support for the mass mobilization of Zimbabweans by the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF). According to VOA Zimbabwe, each member country of SADC is set to individually call for the lifting of Zimbabwe's sanctions as previously agreed upon at the 39th regional summit held in Tanzania this past August. Last night, the Zanu-PF Youth League called on Zimbabweans to occupy the American embassy as part of what they've now dubbed "Sanctions Must Fall".

Social media is alive with images and video footage of the various anti-sanctions marches taking place across Zimbabwe.





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Photo by Alfredo Zuniga / AFP

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