The decision has come to light after a government memo from December was leaked, revealing that President Emmerson Mnangagwa felt the deal was "lopsided". A government spokesman has since explained the US was demanding access to biological samples for research and commercial gain but said it was not willing to share the benefits for future vaccines and treatments. "We will now turn to the difficult and regrettable task of winding down our health assistance in Zimbabwe," US ambassador to Zimbabwe Pamela Tremont said in a statement. Her embassy said the US had provided more than $1.9bn in health funding to Zimbabwe over the last two decades. A doctors' association in Zimbabwe has called for further dialogue to find a deal acceptable to both sides so the country's HIV programme can continue. In December, Kenya's High Court suspended a similar health funding agreement the government had signed with the US after a consumer rights lobby filed a case citing concerns about the safety of Kenyans' health data. (BBC)