The Sunday News
Vusumuzi Dube, Online News Editor
VARIOUS African leaders have taken advantage of the ongoing 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York to reiterate calls for the removal of the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.
This comes ahead of the SADC Anti-Sanctions Solidarity Day commemorations set for the 25th of next month.
Senegalese President, who is also the Chairperson of the African Union, Macky Sall led the calls for the lifting of the illegal sanctions imposed against Zimbabwe
“The African Union once again calls for the lifting of foreign sanctions against Zimbabwe. These harsh measures continue to fuel a sense of injustice against an entire people and to aggravate their suffering in these times of deep crisis,” said President Sall.
Newly elected Kenyan President, Cde William Ruto, who is also attending the General Assembly noted that the illegal sanctions compound injustice and worsen suffering.
“There might never be a more opportune time to revisit the practice of unilateral coercive actions, which often violate fundamental tenets of a rule-based international order, such as those imposed on Zimbabwe and Cuba.
“Apart from undermining the sovereign equality of nations, they also indiscriminately punish the general citizenry, reserving their bitterest sting for innocent hustlers and the vulnerable. This compounds injustice and worsens suffering,” said President Ruto.
Democratic Republic of Congo President, who also chairs the Southern African Development Community (SADC), President Félix Tshisekedi also reiterated President Sall’s calls questioning why the United Nations was silent regarding the illegal sanctions.
“However, in the name of international solidarity and justice, we do have questions over the maintenance of sanctions against the people of Zimbabwe. These are sanctions which date back to the era of the late President Robert Mugabe.
“Why is our organization so silent and so indifferent to this injustice, almost a crime, against an innocent people? As the current President of the Southern Africa Development Community, I firmly call upon the United Nations to do everything possible to achieve the immediate lifting of sanctions against the Republic of Zimbabwe and its people,” said President Tshisekedi.
South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Dr Naledi Pandor on Wednesday added her voice to the clarion call during a speech at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.
Dr Pandor said unilateral measures against sovereign nations impede development.
“South Africa calls for an end to the embargo against Cuba, which continues to impede the right to development of her people.
“In the same vein, we call for an end to unilateral coercive measures against Zimbabwe, which have compounded the problems experienced by the people of Zimbabwe and have a detrimental effect on the broader Southern African region,” said Dr Pandor.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa last week told US President Joe Biden that the embargo against Zimbabwe had weakened its economy and caused a regional migration crisis.
