The United Kingdon government has said that sanctions against Zimbabwe will remain in place until the President Emmerson Mnangagwa-led administration has implemented the promised economic and political reforms.
These remarks come barely a week after the UK has extended sanctions on the Southern African country which were imposed two decades ago following Zimbabwe’s ‘controversial’ fast-track land reform.
The programme resulted in many white farmers losing farms to natives while some also lost other properties. The explanation of the UK government’s position was revealed by Melanie Robinson, the British Ambassador to Zimbabwe since January 2019. Posting on Twitter, she said:
The UK Government has always been clear that we believe changes to sanctions regimes against Zimbabwe should reflect progress on the political and economic reforms promised by President Mnangagwa
The extension of the sanctions came at the same time when the European Union was suspending sanctions on some individuals including Grace Mugabe the widow of former president Robert Mugabe and Vice President Constantino Chiwenga.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwean government has said that it will implement reforms at its own pace and also not because any jurisdiction has said Zimbabwe must reform but because reforms are necessary for the country.
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