Zimbabwe: Are targeted sanctions smart enough? On the efficacy of international restrictive measures

This Situation Report attempts to elucidate the contested matter of sanctions in Zimbabwe by outlining all the “sanctions and measures”

Since the inauguration of the Inclusive Government (IG) in February 2009, the issue of sanctions has been presented as one of the major obstacles to the full implementation of the power-sharing arrangement signed between Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and the two formations of the Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara (MDC-T and MDC-M, respectively). Article 4 of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) stipulates, among other things, that “the parties hereby agree (…) that all forms of measures and sanctions against Zimbabwe be lifted in order to facilitate a sustainable solution to the challenges that are currently facing Zimbabwe”. It also notes a commitment to work together “in re-engaging the international community with a view to bringing to an end the country’s international isolation”.

Author: Dr. Judy Smith-Höhn is a senior researcher with the African Conflict Prevention Programme at the ISS in
Pretoria.