OPINION: Foreign Intervention in Africa Foments Unrest

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin to discuss bilateral relations and international issues. (The Kremlin)

Zimbabwe declared October 25 Anti-Sanctions Day, a new public holiday with the express aim of protesting U.S. sanctions, according to AfricaNews. In addition to giving citizens an extra day off, the Zimbabwean government planned festivities, including a march, a soccer match, and an all-night concert in the capital, Harare.

The U.S. imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe in 2002 and 2003 in response to the government’s alleged human rights violations, according to BBC. Simon Khaya Moyo, chairman of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front, called the sanctions “an act of terrorism against Zimbabwe,” according to Bloomberg. The country is currently experiencing deep economic woes as inflation has reached 300 percent, AfricaNews reports.

In response to the new holiday, the U.S. Embassy in Harare tweeted “5 Facts about U.S. Sanctions in Zimbabwe,” including the “fact” that Zimbabwe’s economic ordeals are caused by its own failed policies and corruption, not sanctions. 

Zimbabwe’s distress adds to a long list of grievances against outside actors on the continent. According to the National, the African Union has expressed “deep concern over continued external interference in Libya's internal affairs." Sudanese Finance Minister Ibrahim Elbadawi called the U.S. classification of Sudan as a state sponsor of terrorism “a crippling impediment,” according to News24.

Foreign intervention in the region has only grown. AEI’s China Global Investment Tracker found that China invested more than $300 billion in sub-Saharan Africa between 2005 and 2019, prompting concerns over debt-traps. The first-ever Russia-Africa summit resulted in $12.5 billion worth of agreements between the parties, according to the Financial Times. The Intercept revealed that the U.S. has maintained an extensive military presence in Africa with bases in at least 34 locations. Whether Africa's woes should primarily be attributed to foreign actors or domestic governments, the fact remains that people are suffering and reform is stalled as countries play an endless game of hot potato over whom to blame.