President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he was prolonging United States sanctions on Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s regime for a year, saying the country’s deep political crisis remained unresolved.
”I am continuing for one year the national emergency with respect to the actions and policies of certain members of the government of Zimbabwe,” Obama said in a statement.
Obama’s move came less than a month after Morgan Tsvangirai, Mugabe’s long-time and bitter rival, became prime minister in a unity government.
The European Union has also said it will not lift sanctions against Zimbabwe until the new government fully complies with the terms of the power-sharing deal.
The African Union and South Africa had called for the lifting of sanctions against Zimbabwe, following Tsvangirai’s decision to join the government.
Under US law, Obama was required to inform Congress by Friday that he intended to continue the sanctions regime targeting members of the Zimbabwe government, or it would lapse.
”The crisis constituted by the actions and policies of certain members of the government of Zimbabwe and other persons to undermine Zimbabwe’s democratic processes or institutions has not been resolved,” the president said in a separate message to Congress.
”These actions and policies pose a continuing unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States.
”For these reasons, I have determined that it is necessary to continue this national emergency and to maintain in force the sanctions to respond to this threat.”
In former president George Bush’s final tightening of sanctions against the Mugabe regime, in July, the US Treasury Department imposed punitive measures against 17 companies or entities and an Omani national for their links to the government.
The US State Department said three weeks ago that it needed to see evidence of good governance and real power-sharing on the part of Mugabe before providing further development assistance or easing sanctions.
Zimbabwe’s descent into political and economic crisis began nine years ago when Mugabe lost a referendum on a new constitution that would have expanded the powers of the man who has ruled since independence in 1980.
But the crisis deepened after disputed elections last year, sending Zimbabwe into a tailspin that saw politics deadlocked while a humanitarian crisis spiralled out of the control.
Tsvangirai agreed to form a unity government under intense regional pressure to end the crisis, which has left most of the population without food while a cholera epidemic has killed more than 3 800 people. — AFP
