The Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, has renewed calls for the immediate and unconditional lifting of all unilateral sanctions imposed by Western nations on the Republic of Zimbabwe.
His remarks came as Zimbabweans on Saturday, October 25, 2025, marked Anti-Sanctions Day in Harare, the country’s capital, where thousands called for the removal of Western sanctions that have remained in place for more than two decades.
Youssouf expressed deep concern over the continued negative impact of the sanctions, describing them as “coercive” and long overdue for removal.
“These unilateral sanctions represent a significant impediment to the socio-economic development of Zimbabwe and the broader SADC region,” Youssouf said.
“They have severely constrained Zimbabwe’s access to international finance, deterred foreign direct investment, and increased the cost of doing business, thereby undermining our collective efforts to achieve the goals of Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.”
He emphasized that the sanctions have directly hindered Zimbabwe’s progress toward its national development strategy, Vision 2030, and negatively affected regional macroeconomic convergence and integration within the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The AUC Chairperson reiterated the African Union’s unwavering commitment to continue mobilizing support for Zimbabwe until the punitive measures are fully lifted.
The SADC Anti-Sanctions Day, commemorated every year on October 25, was established in 2019 as a collective regional initiative to denounce the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe following its land reform program, which redistributed land from minority white farmers to indigenous black Zimbabweans.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, in his address during the commemoration, called for the complete and unconditional removal of the sanctions, saying the country remains steadfast in its pursuit of development despite the restrictions.
"Through sanctions, some Western countries sought to punish us for asserting our sovereignty and pursuing equal economic development for the benefit and prosperity of the people of our beloved motherland, Zimbabwe," Mnangagwa said.
In March 2025, former U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order terminating the Zimbabwe sanctions program that had been in force since 2003.
However, he simultaneously imposed new sanctions on 11 individuals, including President Mnangagwa and Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, citing alleged human rights abuses and corruption.
