US imposes sanctions on two Zimbabwean politicians

The United States has imposed economic sanctions on two senior Zimbabwean politicians over suspected human rights abuses. 

Zimbabwe’s Security Minister Owen Ncube is believed to have ordered the abduction and mistreatment of opposition supporters. 

Former military commander Anselem Sanyatwe is accused of ordering troops to open fire on protestors during an incident in 2018 when six supporters of the opposition MDC party were killed. 

The two men are already banned from entering the US and will now have their US-based assets frozen by the treasury department. 

Neither men have commented on the allegations.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted his support for the sanctions on Wednesday, saying that “the US will not tolerate the use [of] our financial system by human rights abusers in Zimbabwe”. 

The treasury department said that the Trump administration was committed to holding corrupt Zimbabwean elites to account for their repressive and violent rule. 

Photo: Financial Times