The President of the United States, Donald Trump has defended his decision to extend “sanctions against Zimbabwe for another year” reportedly claiming that the new government under President Emmerson Mnangagwa “remained a threat to Washington’s foreign policy”.
Voice of America (VOA) reported that the US’s notice on the new Zimbabwe administration and the extension of sanctions was signed by President Trump last Friday.
The U.S government said despite the exit of Robert Mugabe last year after a military takeover, the situation in Zimbabwe has still not changed significantly to warrant the lifting of sanctions.
Most sanctions on Zimbabwe were imposed during the era of former President Mugabe who constantly clashed with the West.
After his exit from power, President Mnangagwa asked Europe and America to consider lifting the sanctions. Although Europe appears to be willing to lift the sanctions, the U.S.A does not seem to be convinced about the new regime.
The notice signed by President Trump read “…Concrete actions must follow President Mnangagwa’s stated intentions to carry out political and economic reforms. The actions and policies of certain members of the government of Zimbabwe and other persons, however, continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States.”
Last month local media reported that the US also claimed that Mnangagwa’s administration was a “product of a military coup”.
“The US is very clear that Mnangagwa came to power through a coup although the authorities in Harare have done everything in their power to avoid this word (coup). It was also indicated that the general elections expected in July will be the benchmark on which the sanctions will be reviewed,” a News Day source was quoted as saying.
Zimbabwe suffered major economic retrogression following sanction imposition over claims of human rights abuses and poor democratic systems under former President Robert Mugabe.
Source: Africafeeds.com
