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Zimbabwe to suspend tariffs on US imports after Trump’s 18% tarrifs
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Zimbabwe’s President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, said Saturday he would suspend all tariffs on goods imported from the United States, days after US President Donald Trump levied 18 per cent tariffs against the southern African nation.
The mineral-rich country’s main trading partners are the United Arab Emirates, South Africa and China, and its limited exports to the US comprise mainly tobacco and sugar.
“I will direct the Zimbabwean government to implement a suspension of all tariffs levied on goods originating from the United States,” Mnangagwa said in a post on X.
This announcement was “intended to facilitate the expansion of American imports within the Zimbabwean market, while simultaneously promoting the growth of Zimbabwean exports destined for the United States,” he said.
The total goods trade between the two countries amounted to $111.6 million in 2024, according to US government data.
The relationship between Zimbabwe and the US has been marked by decades-long pressure campaigns against former ruler Robert Mugabe since the early 2000s.
Harare has regularly blamed US sanctions for the disastrous economic crisis that has afflicted the country for more than two decades, and has moved away from the West, strengthening economic ties with the UAE and China.
Washington last year abolished the former sanctions programme but imposed targeted sanctions on Mnangagwa and other senior leaders in Zimbabwe’s government and ZANU-PF ruling party, citing rights abuses and corruption.
Mnangagwa at the time said the sanctions imposed by then-President Joe Biden were “illegal and unjustified”.
Prominent journalist and activist Hopewell Chin’ono said Saturday’s announcement of the suspension of tariffs on US goods was a “knee-jerk reaction”, suggesting it could be an effort by Mnangagwa to get the sanctions removed.
“Acting unilaterally contradicts the principles of regional economic cooperation,” especially with the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and risks “sidelining the interests” of Zimbabwe’s main trade partners, Chin’ono wrote on X.
“Does Zimbabwe even export enough to the US to justify trying to appease Trump’s administration in this way?,” he asked.
AFP
A helicopter crash in Saudi Arabia killed 14 Saudi citizens on Sunday, the kingdom’s official press agency reported, adding that the aircraft belonged to state oil giant Aramco.
The Saudi Press Agency, citing an official at the energy ministry, reported the helicopter crashed in Ras Tanura in the country’s east.
“The accident claimed the lives of all 14 passengers, all Saudi citizens,” the agency said, adding that an investigation was under way to determine the cause of the crash.
Aramco says it operates more than 60 aircraft, including helicopters serving more than 300 heliports in Saudi Arabia, making it one of the largest corporate fleets in the region.
The deadly accident comes as oil-rich Gulf nations seek to ramp up their output following Iranian attacks and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for the export of oil and gas.
The Gulf monarchy did not indicate the incident was in any way connected to a hostile attack.
During the Middle East war, Iranian attacks had targeted energy facilities in the Gulf.
Ras Tanura is home to one of the largest refineries in the Middle East, with a capacity of 550,000 barrels per day, and is critical to Saudi Arabia’s energy sector.
The refinery has been targeted several times, notably during an Iranian drone attack at the beginning of the conflict, which caused a fire and forced a partial shutdown.
Riyadh said in April that the weeks-long attacks had disrupted several production operations at key facilities, with refineries in Ras Tanura as well as Jubail, Yanbu and Riyadh targeted.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s leading crude exporter, produces a little over 10 million bpd.
AFP
An Improvised Explosive Device, IED, planted by alleged bandits along the Kurawa–Sabon Birni road in Sokoto State on Sunday hit a vehicle, killing one person and injuring many passengers.
The incident raised fresh concerns over the growing use of explosive devices by criminal groups operating in parts of the North-West.
The vehicle was said to be conveying passengers from surrounding communities to Sabon Birni when it ran over the explosive device, triggering a blast that severely damaged the vehicle and left several occupants injured.
A security analyst based in the area, Bashir Guyawa, disclosed the incident in a post on his Facebook page.
Guyawa described the incident as another reminder of the persistent security challenges confronting communities along the border axis.
He said the vehicle was on a routine passenger trip when the explosion occurred.
“The vehicle was conveying passengers early this morning on their way to Sabon Birni when the unfortunate incident happened,” he wrote.
Twelve people were injured in a clash between farmers from Larabar Gadan Sarki and herders from the communities of Majawa and Karade in Warawa Local Government Area of Kano State.
The chairman of Warawa Local Government, Lamido Sunusi Ahmad, disclosed this in a statement issued by his media aide, Musleem Garindau.
The statement said the council chairman visited the injured victims at Wudil General Hospital and directed that the local government should cover the cost of their treatment until they had fully recovered.
He also commended community leaders and security personnel for their swift intervention, noting that calm had been restored to the affected communities.
The chairman urged residents to refrain from spreading rumours or engaging in any act capable of escalating tensions and instead embrace dialogue to promote peaceful coexistence.
Speaking further, the Vice Chairman of Warawa Local Government, Hon. Ibrahim Abdu Madari, explained that the conflict involved residents of the communities, all of whom are indigenous to the area.
He said reports indicated that the violence began after a cow strayed into a farmer’s field and ate some crops. The farmer allegedly beat the cow, prompting its owner to assault the farmer, and the disagreement later escalated into a wider clash.
He also reiterated his appeal to residents to live peacefully and resolve disputes through dialogue and mutual understanding.
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