HARARE, March 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Zimbabwe said the extension of U.S. sanctions on its government was regrettable but Harare would keep talking to Washington and the European Union to remove the measures it says have stifled its economy.
Sanctions were imposed under the rule of Robert Mugabe, who brought the country to near ruin during his 37-year tenure. The West accused him of rigging elections, rights abuses and oppressing opponents before he was ousted after a coup in 2017.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday extended by one year sanctions against Zimbabwe, saying that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government’s policies still posed an “unusual and extraordinary” threat to U.S. foreign policy.
The renewal comes despite calls by African leaders like South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, for the sanctions to be lifted to give the country a chance to recover from its economic crisis.
Foreign ministry secretary James Manzou told a committee of parliament that the sanctions were unwarranted.
“While these (sanctions) regrettably remain in place, the ministry believes the new dispensation has laid a firm foundation for future relations with the United States,” Manzou said. — NNN-AGENCIESt
