The Zimbabwean government will compensate white farmers who were forcibly removed from their land more than 20 years ago in a bid to mend ties with Western nations that have sanctioned it over human rights abuses.

Zimbabwe Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said the government would disburse $3.1 million to 740 white farmers who lost their land during a resettlement campaign in 2000 and 2001 aimed at relocating 300,000 Black families. About 4,000 white farmers were displaced under orders from former President Robert Mugabe, who justified the evictions as redress for colonial-era land inequities. Zimbabwe gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1980.