The US Government, with President Joe Biden’s stoke of a pen, has implemented sanctions on Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, his wife First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa, and various government officials on Monday. An executive order was signed in line with the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control’s proclamation of sanctions against the African nation, consequently ending a national emergency period which had been in place since 2005.
In the Treasury Department’s press release, accusations against President Mnangagwa were detailed extensively. The allegations include corruption, involvement in smuggling networks of gold and diamonds, bribery, and a collaboration with businessman Kudakwashe Regimond Tagwirei, who has previously been identified by the Treasury Department. Furthermore, reasons for the newly imposed sanctions pertain to severe human rights abuses as enforced by Executive Order 13818, conceived by former President Donald Trump in 2017 to allow the US to sanction nations committing severe human rights abuses threatening the American national security and economy. First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa is also accused of aiding and facilitating her spouse’s activities.
Reacting to the recent sanctions, President Mnangagwa’s spokesperson, Nick Mangwana, posted on X, formerly Twitter, that “as long as senior leadership is under sanctions, we are all under sanctions.”
However, the US is not alone in its unease about the prevailing levels of corruption in Zimbabwe. In consonance with the 2023 national elections, Human Rights Watch expressed the failure of the government in ensuring a free and fair electoral process. Zimbabwean opposition leader Nelson Chamisa resigned from his party citing prevalent government corruption and coercive actions against its citizens.
For more detailed information, please visit the original report here.