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Daniel Chigunwe Herald Correspondent

Zimbabwe has pledged its continued commitment towards fighting illicit drugs despite hindrances posed by Western-imposed illegal sanctions, the Covid-19 pandemic and disasters arising from climate change, exacerbating the vulnerabilities of people.

While seizures and interdictions of illicit drugs have led to arrests of traffickers and disruption of drug networks, Government is further introducing a cocktail of measures to reinforce the fight against narcotics.

Addressing a delegation of member states during the high-level segment of the 67th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna, Austria, last Thursday, Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Kazembe Kazembe highlighted challenges met in facing the global phenomenon and the strides being taken by the Government.

Minister Kazembe, who was leading a delegation including Director strategic policy planning, monitoring and evaluation in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mr Mike Masaka and Special Advisor to the President and Cabinet on Public Health Dr Agnes Mahomva, among other inter-ministerial committee representatives, has reiterated the call for unconditional removal of illegal sanctions.

“I wish to underscore the predicament confronting the majority of developing countries, particularly those like my own, which are bearing the brunt of illegal economic sanctions imposed by some powerful countries in the west.

“Zimbabwe has been grappling with unilateral coercive measures since 2000 which have undermined the country’s access to quality foreign direct investment, affordable financing and debt relief initiatives. This reduces the capacity to finance national programmes to mitigate the illicit drug challenges.