Last week’s move by the Government of Canada to impose targeted sanctions on Zimbabwe, citing “intimidation and violence” on opposition political parties by Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party, has been viewed by that government (Zimbabwe) as Canada’s joining of “the league of the country’s enemies.”
Western countries, including the United States of America, Britain and the European Union introduced selective sanctions on Mugabe’s government and those with close ties to him (Mugabe), mentioning politically motivated brutality against the opposition and its supporters as the prime source.
Canada introduced the sanctions last Friday, with Foreign Affairs Minister, David Emerson, saying in a statement, “since the election on March 29 the government of Zimbabwe has subjected opposition supporters to intimidation and state sponsored violence and has made no visible effort to improve the lives of its citizens.”
Responding to the move by Canada, Zimbabwe’s Minster of Information and Publicity, Dr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, has been quoted in the state media as saying, “Those countries that continue to impose new sanctions are the enemies of the people of Zimbabwe…they (Canada) do not love the people of Zimbabwe. They are holding the people of Zimbabwe at ransom. Is that democracy to impose sanctions on a sovereign state?”
But Emerson said in his statement that the sanctions will not affect the people of Zimbabwe and that Canada will continue to provide “humanitarian assistance.”
The sanctions include a ban on export of arms, freezing assets of top Zimbabwe officials and prohibiting Zimbabwe aircraft flying over or landing in Canada.
The move by Canada widely believed to be a reaction on the delay in reaching a power sharing deal between Robert Mugabe of Zanu PF and Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change has been “condemned” by Mugabe’s government as “not in the interests of the people of Zimbabwe.”
“They say they support human rights but sanctions are making it impossible for us to import food yet it is a basic right. The sanctions are not in the interests of the people of Zimbabwe,” said the Publicity and Information Minister.
The power sharing talks being facilitated by South African President, Thabo Mbeki resumed in Harare on Monday, with the final agreement expected anytime this week.
Emerson cited unwillingness of Zimbabwe government to “negotiate in good faith” and make reforms in a statement last week.
“Despite the efforts by international mediators and despite calls by the international community to return democracy to Zimbabwe, the government has shown itself unwilling to negotiate in good faith and uninterested in meaningful reform.”
After the 27 June run-off poll, in which Tsvangirai pulled out citing violence against his supporters, the United States of America expanded economic sanctions on Mugabe and those close to him referring to continued political violence and failure to lift the ban on humanitarian assistance by Mugabe’s regime.
In a July 25 statement American President, George Bush, was quoted saying,” no regime should ignore the will of its own people and calls from the international community without consequences.”
Zimbabwe is facing mounting pressure from both African and Western countries to make democratic concessions to the opposition if the country’s economy once considered the “bread basket of Africa” is to restore its lost glory.
