HARARE, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. military hegemony has not brought stability to Africa, but has been a catalyst for instability instead, Linda Masarira, president of Zimbabwe's Labor, Economists and African Democrats (LEAD) political party, has said.
The military presence of the United States in Africa has not been for the continent's benefit. "They try to pretend as if they are on peace-making missions but we all know that during those 'peace-making missions' that they are talking about, they are busy looting Africa's resources," Masarira told Xinhua in a recent interview.
She said the United States uses neo-colonialism to reclaim Africa's resources. "We are now very cognizant of such operations, and we actually have an obligation to ensure that we protect our country from American intervention," Masarira said.
Zimbabwe has taken bold action to assert its independence by embarking on a land redistribution exercise at the turn of the millennium to correct the colonial land imbalances that favored the minority, she said.
However, the country has been severely punished for standing its ground by addressing colonial injustices, Masarira noted.
"It is sad that America then responded harshly and decided to sanction Zimbabwe, including the EU (European Union) and Britain, just because we claimed back our land which was taken from our ancestors," she said.
The United States imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe over two decades ago over differences with Zimbabwe regarding its land reform program.
Masarira believes that unilateral sanctions are a weapon of war which aim to advance the United States' own foreign policy goals under the guise of upholding human rights and democracy.
She noted that the BRICS mechanism brings a fairer global setup by ushering in a multipolar world.
"But thanks to BRICS, it is dismantling that American superpower that they have been holding on to for a very long time and there is hope -- a ray of hope that things can change for most African countries," she said.
In addition, Masarira said Western-led development has not been favorable to Africa, and that there is a need for the adoption of Afrocentric models that take into account local conditions.
"We need to create our own Afrocentric system that protects Africans, that protects our mineral resources and that inspires sustainable human development, sustainable human growth and grows our economy to benefit the African people," she said. ■
