By Staff Reporter
Harare – The Broader Alliance Against Sanctions (BAAS) has rejected conditions tied to the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZIDERA), insisting that sanctions imposed by the United States must be lifted unconditionally.
Speaking in Harare, BAAS co-founder and spokesperson Sally Ngoni said the alliance, which has been staging the Occupy American Embassy Campaign since 2019, views the demands attached to ZIDERA as unjust and colonial in nature.
“We are not happy with the conditions the Americans are putting,” Ngoni said.
“One of the demands is that our government should compensate former white settlers for the buildings they erected on land they stole from our ancestors. I don’t think there is any settler who brought bricks or materials from abroad. Those structures were built through the forced labour of our ancestors.”
Ngoni argues that if compensation is to be discussed, it is the descendants of colonised Zimbabweans who should be paid for the suffering endured during colonialism and for the economic damage sanctions have caused since their enactment.
The alliance also dismissed ZIDERA as an illegal instrument, saying it was imposed without approval from the United Nations and undermines Zimbabwe’s sovereignty.
“Americans need to understand that Zimbabwe is an independent nation. They should let us define democracy in our own context and stop imposing conditions,” Ngoni said.
BAAS members, drawn from diverse political backgrounds, have maintained a vigil outside the U.S. Embassy in Harare for six years. In May, the group performed a traditional Bira Ceremony at the protest site, invoking the support of spirit mediums in their anti-sanctions campaign. They claim the ritual coincided with the removal of some entities and individuals from sanctions lists by the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Despite these developments, Ngoni insisted that piecemeal adjustments do not address the alliance’s core demand.
“Sanctions must go — completely and without conditions. Anything less is unacceptable,” she said.
