Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa
The US has imposed sanctions on Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa for corruption and human rights abuses. In addition, sanctions have been imposed on the first lady, vice president, defense minister, and other leaders of this country located in the southern part of Africa.
According to reports, the United States has imposed sanctions on Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa for corruption and human rights violations. Besides, this ban order will also harm other senior leaders in the country. As a result, their assets in the United States will be frozen, and they will not be able to travel there on private enterprise or personally.
The BBC says the new bans will replace a wider program that was introduced two decades ago. “We are witnessing gross violations of political, economic, and human rights,” the White House said in a statement.
The statement added, “The targeting of civil society and the imposition of severe restrictions on political activities have undermined fundamental freedoms, and leading figures, including ruling party leaders, have looted public resources for personal gain.”
“These illegal activities support and contribute to global criminal networks involved in bribery, smuggling, and money laundering,” the White House said. That further impoverishes people and communities in Zimbabwe, South Africa, and other parts of the world.’
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has already cited “multiple kidnappings, physical torture, and extrajudicial killings” in Zimbabwe that have left people in fear.
The White House said it was “revisiting efforts to hold others accountable, including those responsible for this exploitation and abuse.”
According to the BBC, the United States has imposed sanctions against President Emmerson Mnangagwa as well as 10 other Zimbabwean individuals and three businesses. Among those banned are First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, and Defense Minister Opah Muchinguri.
The US also imposed sanctions on President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s adviser, Kudakwashe Tagwairi, his wife, and their two businesses.
However, other people previously under US sanctions but not on the new list have been lifted, the BBC reported.
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Zimbabwean government spokesman Nick Mnangagwa described the lifting of the old ban as “a great testament to President Mnangagwa’s foreign policy” and called the new ban “illegal.”.
Farai Muroiwa Marapira, spokesperson for President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ruling Zanu PF party, said the president’s policy of ‘friendship with all and enmity with none’ and keeping our doors open to all has yielded bittersweet results.
The United States first imposed economic and travel sanctions on Zimbabwe in the early 1990s.
The ban targeted then-President Robert Mugabe and other high-ranking government officials at the time.
In addition, various countries, including the United Kingdom and European Union members, have imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe.
President Mnangagwa, who was sworn in for a second term last year, has blamed economic tariffs for crippling the country’s development in the past.
