US strengthening sanctions against Mugabe regime

By Tererai Karimakwenda
25 July 2008

The United States Embassy in Harare said the Bush administration has strengthened sanctions against individuals blamed for the brutal pre-election violence. President Bush signed a new Executive Order on Friday.

The new sanctions by the White House and the State Department target individuals that they ‘hold responsible for subverting the will of the people of Zimbabwe, people associated with the regime and those responsible for the recent violence and political problems.’

This time the US government has included media personalities and academics on the new sanctions list. The sanctions restrict both travel by individuals and their finances.

According to a US Treasury Department spokesperson, the sanctions would be imposed on 17 companies or entities and an Omani national for their links to Mugabe’s government. The so-called entities include Operation Sovereign Legitimacy, which is the commercial arm of the Zimbabwean Army, the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ), a minerals marketing and export agent, the Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company (ZISCO), and a number of banks and holding companies.

In their statement, the Treasury Department said: “Robert Mugabe, his senior officials and regime cronies have used these entities to illegally siphon revenue and foreign exchange from the Zimbabwean people.”
President Bush is reported to have also announced US$2.5 million in aid from the U.S. Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund, to assist Zimbabwean refugees and asylum seekers that were displaced due to political violence.

On Tuesday the European Union also broadened its sanctions against individuals who back Robert Mugabe. They widened the sanctions to target 37 more individuals and, for the first time, four companies linked to his government. Two Zimbabwe newspaper journalists Caesar Zvayi and Munyaradzi Huni are included on this list.

Existing EU sanctions include an arms embargo, visa bans and asset freezes on senior officials including Mugabe. Tuesday’s additions now mean the list comprises 168 individuals, and the four companies.