The US has imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa for corruption and human rights abuses.
The order also affects other senior leaders in the country – blocking their assets in the US and barring them from unofficial travel there.
The new sanctions replace a broader programme that was introduced two decades ago.
“We continue to witness gross abuses of political, economic, and human rights,” the White House said in a statement.
“The targeting of civil society and severe restrictions on political activity have stifled fundamental freedoms, while key actors, including government leaders, have siphoned off public resources for personal gains,” it added.
“These illicit activities support and contribute to a global criminal network of bribery, smuggling, and money laundering that impoverish communities in Zimbabwe, southern Africa, and other parts of the world.”
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, meanwhile cited “multiple cases of abductions, physical abuse, and unlawful killing” in Zimbabwe that had left people “living in fear”.
Source:BBC
