US Extends Sanctions Against Zim Amidst Obama Exit

According to various reports, the United States have extended sanctions imposed against Zimbabwe by another year.

The sanctions were first imposed against the country back in 2000, and have since had a crippling effect on the country as poverty levels continue to rise.

The extension of the sanctions was done under the Obama administration, and will be one of the last things to be done under that administration, as Obama is set to leave office on Friday.

The news of the extended sanctions against Zimbabwe came just as news broke of reduced sanctions against another African country, Sudan. The reduced sanctions against Sudan came as a surprise for many, as tensions are extremely high in the country currently.

Many believe that Sudan and South Sudan are on the brink of yet another civil war.

While Mugabe’s government is not pleased with the extension of the sanctions, it seems that Zimbabwean opposition leaders are pleased with the Obama administration’s decision to extend the sanctions with another year.

Opposition leaders said that because Zimbabwe has yet to reform certain policies, it is a good move to keep the sanctions in place.

However, Thabitha Khumalo, a deputy spokesperson for the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in the country, said that while she agrees with the extension of the sanctions, she believes that the sanctions are not having a tremendous effect on Mugabe or his government:

“…It is very good move but sadly these sanctions have not had the impact that was expected by the people because our understanding was that the sanctions were a travel ban but you will find that Mugabe is all over New York,” she said.

The US first imposed sanctions against Zimbabwe because they had accused Mugabe of rigging elections, ignoring the basic human rights of the country’s citizens, repressing press freedom and various other charges.