US SANCTIONS ZIMBABWE OFFICIALS OVER RIGHTS ABUSES

Washington, USA

The United States of America has announced sanctions on Zimbabwe's State Security Minister and the Southern African country's envoy to Tanzania for their roles in the killings and abductions of protesters.

Zimbabwe State Security Minister, Owen Ncube

Washington accused State Security Minister, Owen Ncube, an ally of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, of masterminding the abductions and torture of government critics in last year’s protests.

Zimbabwe's Ambassador to Tanzania Anselem Sanyatwe, a former commander of the presidential guard, was sanctioned for allegedly deploying soldiers who killed six protesters a few days after the 2018 elections.

“These actions follow Sanyatwe and Ncube's designations for gross violations of human rights by the State Department in September and October 2019, which blocked Ncube and Sanyatwe from entering the United States,” the State Department said in a statement on Wednesday.

The US announced a travel ban and asset freeze on them; and its citizens are prohibited from engaging in business deals with them.

Zimbabwe's Ambassador to Tanzania,
Anselem Sanyatwe

The US also removed from the list one former government minister and three other officials who have since died.

Last week Washington renewed its sanctions against Zimbabwe for another year, citing alleged human rights violations by security forces.

President Donald Trump’s administration accused President Mnangagwa of squandering an opportunity to reform after a military coup that toppled long-time ruler Robert Mugabe in 2017

The European Union, Australia, Canada and New Zealand have maintained sanctions against Zimbabwe for close to two decades over human rights violations and electoral fraud. - Africa