The disturbances were triggered by significant increases in the cost of living, especially prices for food and transportation. Zimbabwe is experiencing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence in 1980. Inflation is running at over sixty percent.
Analysts say more than half the workforce is unemployed.
Many blame Zimbabwe s economic crisis on government mismanagement. A major factor is the disruption of agriculture caused by the seizure of over a thousand white-owned farms by squatters since February. At the same time that the economy has collapsed, the rule of law in Zimbabwe has eroded. While the amnesty does not cover murder, rape, and theft, it does grant pardons for other violent acts. Earlier this year, Zimbabwe's High Court ordered the squatters to vacate the occupied farms.