THE Broad Alliance Against Sanctions (BAAS), Zimbabwe’s prominent anti-sanctions lobby group, has taken legal action by filing a court application at the High Court in Harare, seeking reparations from the United States for imposing sanctions on Zimbabwe over two decades ago.
During a press briefing following the filing, Sally Ngoni, BAAS co-founder and spokesperson, emphasised the group’s objective, stating, ‘We are also filing for reparations for the losses that the country has experienced for the past 23 years that we have been under these illegal sanctions.’ Ngoni did not disclose the specific amount of reparations, noting that consultations are still ongoing. She added, ‘We haven’t really come up with the amount. We are still waiting for a response from the Ministry of Finance, and once we get it, we are going to annex it to our application.’
In addition to seeking reparations, BAAS is calling for a written response from the US embassy regarding the continuation of sanctions. Ngoni expressed the group’s frustration, saying, ‘We have written to them several times, and we have even met with the US ambassador trying to engage them on the issue of sanctions, but they have not responded to us in written form. So we are requesting them to respond to us in written form as to why they haven’t removed the sanctions which were declared illegal and unjustified by the UN rapporteur in her report.’
The United Nations special rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on human rights, Alena Douhan, visited Zimbabwe in October 2021 to assess the effects of unilateral sanctions on the country. In her report, Douhan acknowledged that the sanctions, including secondary sanctions and over-compliance by foreign banks and companies, have significantly exacerbated existing economic and humanitarian challenges faced by the people and government of Zimbabwe. She recommended the lifting of unilateral sanctions in accordance with international law principles.
The United States imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe in the early 2000s due to disagreements with the country’s land reform programme, which aimed to address colonial land distribution imbalances. While the US has claimed that the sanctions are targeted at specific individuals, the Zimbabwean government argues that their impact extends throughout the entire economy, burdening ordinary citizens.
The court application filed by BAAS reflects the ongoing efforts to address the long-lasting consequences of the sanctions on Zimbabwe and seeks to hold the United States accountable for the alleged damages caused.