Zimbabwe’s government has announced plans to compensate 94 foreign white farmers affected by its controversial early-2000s land reforms. Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube confirmed that the government will pay the farmers $20 million from the 2024 budget and an additional $20 million from the 2025 budget. These farmers are protected under Bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion Agreements with countries such as Switzerland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and the former Yugoslavia. This initiative is part of a broader effort to clear a $146 million liability by 2028, restore credibility, and address arrears amid a $21 billion foreign debt. Critics argue that resettled farmers should shoulder the costs themselves and note that local displaced farmers, promised $3.5 billion under a 2020 agreement, remain uncompensated.
Source: VOA
