In 2000, Zimbabwe launched its Fast‑Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP), under which land owned by white commercial farmers was seized and redistributed to Black Zimbabweans, often without compensation. The policy aimed to address colonial‑era land inequality, in which a small minority held most of the fertile farmland.
In response, the United States enacted the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZDERA) of 2001. Under this law, the Government of Zimbabwe was barred from participating in programmes administered by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).