Online Reporter
Zimpapers Politics Hub
A new study published on July 25, 2025, in The Lancet Global Health offers compelling evidence that broad economic sanctions, often portrayed as a less destructive alternative to war, are responsible for an estimated 564 000 deaths each year — most of them children under the age of five.
The research, which analysed data from 152 countries over a 10-year period, found the mortality toll of sanctions to be comparable to that of armed conflict. Authored by economists Francisco Rodriguez, Silvio Rendon and Mark Weisbrot, the study underscores the devastating impact of sanctions on public health and essential infrastructure.
As Weisbrot wrote in a commentary for the Los Angeles Times, “Sanctions are becoming the preferred weapon of the United States and some allies — not because they are less destructive, but because the toll is less visible.”
This sentiment echoes Woodrow Wilson, who once referred to sanctions as “something more tremendous than war”. Sanctions can hobble public health provision and keep humanitarian organisations from operating effectively, directly weighing on the death toll.
By targeting key economic sectors such as finance and energy, sanctions restrict access to critical imports like medicine, food and parts for water and electrical systems, causing widespread suffering without the visible devastation of bombs and missiles.
The study’s findings are profoundly relevant to the case of Zimbabwe, which tragically illustrates the lethal and crippling impact of these measures.
Economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by Western countries for nearly two and a half decades have caused massive financial losses and damaging economic challenges. The impact on Zimbabwe’s economy has been staggering, extending beyond simple trade restrictions to reversing development gains.
According to a report by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) submitted to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights last year, Zimbabwe’s economy has missed out on a colossal US$150 billion in potential revenue since 2001 due to these sanctions.
The Sadc report details that the nation has lost well over US$150 billion in revenue over the past 23 years because of the sanctions.
This amount includes lost bilateral donor support estimated at US$4,5 billion annually since 2001, US$12 billion in loans from major international finance institutions (the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the African Development Bank), commercial loans of US$18 billion, and a GDP reduction of US$21 billion, among other deferred foreign direct investments.
This crippling impact has extended beyond lost revenues to derailing infrastructure projects, weighing on educational initiatives, healthcare improvements, and other essential services.
The sanctions have also left their “undesirable” mark across multiple sectors, with Zimbabwe’s manufacturing and export industries particularly hard-hit.
The country’s export potential has been stymied as many companies find it difficult to establish partnerships with foreign clients who fear reputational and financial risks due to the country’s perceived status.
The overall result is that the most vulnerable sections of the population are sinking deeper into poverty, mirroring the findings of the Lancet study that highlights the severe humanitarian cost.
As Zimbabwe continues to persevere under the weight of sanctions, the nation’s economic potential remains locked, its people deprived of opportunities, and its economy in a perpetual state of recovery.
In a unified show of solidarity, Zimbabwe and the Southern African Development Community set October 25 of every year to observe and call for the removal of the illegal economic embargo.
The strong and unified statements surrounding the recent Anti-Sanctions Day demonstrate that the issue of coercive measures against Zimbabwe is no longer confined to a local or even just a Southern African regional matter, but has become a significant continental and international cause.
The African Union has joined the call, with its commitment reaffirming the issue’s continental significance.
In a statement to mark the Anti-Sanctions Day recently, AU Commission Chairperson Mr Mahmoud Ali Youssouf issued a firm and unequivocal call for the immediate and unconditional lifting of all unilateral sanctions imposed against the Republic of Zimbabwe.
He said the unilateral coercive measures represented a major impediment to the socio-economic development of Zimbabwe and the broader region.
“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 Development Goals,” he said.
The Chairperson expressed concern over the continued negative impact of the sanctions, saying they had persisted for far too long.
Mr Youssouf said the coercive measures had directly hampered Zimbabwe’s progress towards the attainment of national goals, including Vision 2030, and negatively affected regional macroeconomic convergence and integration targets.
The AU, he said, would continue rallying support in calling for the unconditional removal of the Western sanctions.
Beyond the African continent, global powers and allies continue to call for the lifting of the unilateral coercive measures, underscoring the issue’s geopolitical weight. In a statement showing solidarity with Zimbabwe, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the sanctions imposed by a few Western countries were a typical act of hegemonism that violated Zimbabwe’s right to development and disrupted regional cooperation efforts in Southern Africa.
“A few Western countries have illegally sanctioned Zimbabwe for decades. This typical act of hegemonism severely undermines Zimbabwe’s national sovereignty, infringes on the Zimbabwean people’s right of development, disrupts the efforts of Southern Africa to deepen cooperation and pursue common development, and harms international fairness and justice,” he said.
China fully supported Zimbabwe in commemorating the SADC Anti-Sanctions Day and reaffirmed Beijing’s commitment to working with African countries.
Similarly, Russian Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Nikolai Krasilnikov said Moscow has always and will always support Zimbabwe “naturally.”
Palestinian Ambassador to Zimbabwe Dr Tamer Almassri said the sanctions were a hindrance to the country’s developmental efforts, hence should be removed in total, adding that Palestine supports Zimbabwe’s bid for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council.
The unified, explicit calls from SADC, AU, and major international allies (China, Russia, and Palestine) firmly establish the removal of sanctions as a continental and global geopolitical issue, moving the conversation far beyond a regional concern.
This coalition highlights the devastating, though often unseen, impact of the economic embargoes.
As demonstrated by the recent global study, the cumulative effects of financial isolation, denied access to essential imports, and restricted development funding have inflicted an invisible impact on Zimbabwe’s populace, one tragically comparable to the visible destruction of armed conflict.
Therefore, the combined international pressure to lift these sanctions is a direct acknowledgment that these economic measures have done more damage than they were ever intended to prevent.
By crippling public health systems, derailing infrastructure, and sinking the vulnerable deeper into poverty, the sanctions embody what the study defines as a devastating humanitarian cost.
The consistent, urgent demand for their unconditional removal by this wide array of global and regional bodies is a necessary response to the reality that these restrictive measures constitute a severe impediment to human rights, national sovereignty, and the attainment of collective regional development goals.
