Namibia yesterday welcomed a decision by the European Union to ease sanctions imposed by the powerful bloc on four Zimbabwean officials, including vice president Constantino Chiwenga. The EU recently suspended sanctions on Chiwenga; Grace Mugabe, the widow of former president Robert Mugabe; agriculture minister and former Airforce chief Perrance Shiri, and Zimbabwean Defence Force commander Philip Valerio Sibanda. The EU, however, kept in place an arms embargo and penalties on a state-owned defence company for a further year; “taking into account the situation in Zimbabwe, including the yet to be investigated alleged role of the armed and security forces in human rights abuses, the restrictive measures against four individuals are suspended”. 

Namibia yesterday, however, also called for the total scrapping of sanctions. “Namibia has consistently maintained that the sanctions, although euphemistically described by the EU as “targeted”, were illegal and had a detrimental, negative impact on the economy of Zimbabwe and the SADC region,” international relations ministry executive director Ashipala-Musavyi said in a statement yesterday. Ashipala-Musavyi further called on the EU to lift the remaining sanctions and constructively engage with the government and people of Zimbabwe to implement the necessary economic reforms in the best interest of the country and the SADC region. 

Western Sahara solidarity 
Meanwhile, the government yesterday also condemned the opening of consulates in the Western Sahara region by several African countries. Ashipala-Musavyi denounced the acts. Several African countries have decided to open consulates in the Moroccan cities of Laayoune and Dakhla in Western Sahara. 

The countries included Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire and the Union of the Comoros. This, Namibia described as a direct and flagrant violation of the African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) resolutions. 

“Namibia has noted with grave concern that some African countries have been lured by the occupying power of the Saharawi territories to open consulates in Laayoune and Dakhla,” Ashipala-Musavyi said. She said the opening of consulates in the occupied territories of Western Sahara is in direct conflict with UN and AU resolutions and support of the occupation of Western Sahara and the concomitant suffering of the Saharawi people.
-ktjitemisa@nepc.com.na 
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