Washington, 5 March 2022 (TDI): President of the United States (US), Joe Biden has prolonged its sanctions on Zimbabwe for another year. A month ago the European Union (EU) also did the same.
President Joe Biden, in a statement on Thursday, stated that Zimbabwe President, Emmerson Mnangagwa had not accomplished his promises to introduce political improvements after replacing the late ruler Robert Mugabe in a military coup nearly six years ago.
“President Emmerson Mnangagwa has not made the necessary economic and political reforms that would warrant dismissing the present targeted sanctions programmed,” President Biden said.
Further, US President Joe Biden said his government will continue with the embargo for another year saying President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government executing policies that loom America’s foreign policy.
President Biden said, “the actions and policies of certain officials of the Zimbabwe government and other individuals to undermine Zimbabwe’s democratic developments or institutions continue to represent an unprecedented and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States”.
“For this reason, the national emergency proclaimed on March 6, 2003, and the action taken to cope with it on that date, on November 22, 2005, and on July 25, 2008, must continue to be in effect beyond March 6, 2022,” President Biden said.
Further, he said, as a result, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am extending the national emergency proclaimed in Executive Order 13288 for another year,”.
“This notice will be published in the Federal Register and forwarded to the Congress,” President Biden said, adding Harare had followed “actions and strategies that have contributed to politically motivated violence and pressure, and to economic and political instability in the Southern African region”.
About two weeks ago, US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission, Thomas Hastings warned that Washington was carefully monitoring the ongoing by-election campaigns that have recently turned extremely violent.
