Zimbabwe is set to launch legal proceedings against the Lithuanian government, demanding compensation for 17 fire tenders that were seized and later auctioned in that country while in transit to Harare from Belarus, which is under European Union sanctions. The multimillion-dollar fire engines, destined for local authorities across Zimbabwe, were intercepted at the port of Klaipeda in March 2023 because they had originated from a sanctioned Belarusian company. Despite repeated protests by Harare and assurances that the trucks were lawfully procured from non-sanctioned entities, Lithuanian authorities disposed of the consignment through public tender, a decision upheld by the country’s appellate courts in November 2024.
The development has deepened concerns about how Western sanctions are increasingly disrupting Zimbabwe’s ability to procure essential public service equipment from friendly nations. The seizure has left some Zimbabwean municipalities without critical firefighting equipment, undermining emergency response capacity and exposing communities to greater risks of fire-related disasters. It has also raised legal and diplomatic questions over the extraterritorial application of sanctions, with Harare insisting that it was an innocent third party unfairly punished in a dispute between the EU and Belarus. Attorney-General Mrs Virginia Mabiza told The Herald that the conclusion of pre-trial investigations in Lithuania has now paved the way for Harare to press ahead with a civil claim for damages.
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