Christian leaders in Zimbabwe marked the International Day of Peace with an appeal to the international community to cancel Zimbabwe’s debt, saying such a step would help revive the country’s economy, reduce poverty, and build lasting peace. Source: CNA.
Zimbabwe is struggling with an $US8.3 billion ($12.6bn) debt, mostly in arrears, which blocks access to affordable international financing and slows economic recovery.
In a joint statement published on Twitter by the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD), which consists of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, and the Union for Development of Apostolic Churches in Zimbabwe Africa, stressed that peace cannot be separated from social and economic well-being.
“On this International Peace Day, we urge international partners to consider debt cancellation to alleviate the economic burden on our nation and local leadership to alleviate the situation and arrest the social evils that threaten the very fibre of our society,” members of ZHOCD said in their collective September 21 statement.
“Such a step could enable Zimbabwe to redirect critical resources towards vital sectors like health care, education, and infrastructure development, addressing poverty and inequality,” they added.
The Christian leaders reflected on the state of peace in the Southern African nation, saying that despite the country’s good security, the people of God are still experiencing injustices and inequalities.
They noted that while Zimbabwe is not embroiled in outright violence or war, the country’s situation can be characterised as a “negative peace”, a concept that highlights the “absence of direct violence but presence of underlying structural injustices and inequalities”.
They said the country is grappling with economic hardships, political polarity, and social injustices.
The members of ZHOCD called upon all political leaders in Zimbabwe to prioritise peace, justice, and the human rights of Zimbabweans, especially the vulnerable.
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Christian leaders in Zimbabwe urge debt cancellation to alleviate economic burden (By Sabrine Amboka, CNA)
