The United States Embassy in Zimbabwe says Emmerson Mnangagwa administration is using sanctions as a convenient scapegoat for corruption, economic mismanagement and failure to respect human rights.
In a Twitter post with US sanctions fact sheet, the US embassy said Zimbabwe has lost billions of dollars to corruption and harmful economic policies.
“Blaming sanctions is a convenient scapegoat to distract the public from the real reasons behind Zimbabwe’s economic challenges – corruption, economic mismanagement, and failure to respect human rights and uphold the rule of law,” the embassy said.
The Zimbabwe Sanctions program only target those who engage in corruption, violate human rights, and undermine democratic processes.
” They are not intended to be permanent. We use sanctions to encourage sanctioned individuals to cease their malign activities”.
The embassy said there is no U.S. trade embargo on Zimbabwe. If an individual or entity is not on the sanctions list, U.S. companies can trade with that individual or entity.
“In fact, the U.S. Embassy is here to help Zim businesses find trusted U.S. partners for their needs.”
The U.S. government can lift sanctions under various circumstances, for example when sanctioned individuals or entities stop engaging in the behavior that landed them on the sanctions list in the first place.
