ZDERA Targets Zimbabweans' Abusers & Oppressors - US Ambassador

Team Pachedu, a group of activists on Twitter sympathetic to opposition political movements, has gathered excerpts from remarks made by the United States of America ambassador to Zimbabwe, Brian Nichols about the effects of ZDERA on the country’s economy. Below are the excerpts:

1. Some people would like to blame U.S. sanctions for Zimbabwe’s economic crisis. However, the United States does not seek to harm the Zimbabwean people; U.S. sanctions target their abusers and oppressors.
2. The purpose is simple: to hold accountable human rights violators and corrupt individuals, and signal that the United States will not turn a blind eye on those who undermine Zimbabwe’s Constitution and democratic institutions.
3.  If there is any question about how a government goes about enacting reforms, one need only look at the case of Ethiopia… Zimbabwe can absolutely achieve similar reforms, building business confidence and ushering in foreign investment.
4. When I ask US firms why they haven’t invested in Zimbabwe yet, they don’t mention sanctions; they worry, instead, about Zim’s economic policies and political instability. The solution to these concerns is simple – Zimbabwe must ACCELERATE on the path to REFORM.