The US has accused Zimbabwe of harassing, detaining, and deporting several of its nationals who were aid workers in the country.
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) claimed that government officials and contractors who were there to support civic participation, democratic institutions, and human rights were being intimidated.
However, USAID argued that Zimbabwe’s commitment to democratic reform was “hollow”. The US announced fresh sanctions on Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa and other senior government officials, accusing them of corruption and human rights abuses.
The sanctions replaced existing sanctions imposed two decades ago. USAID’s administrator, Samantha Power, stated that some of its members had been subjected to “overnight detention, transportation in unsafe conditions, prolonged interrogation, seizure of and intrusion into personal electronic equipment”.
USAID will continue to support civil society, human rights defenders, and independent media in Zimbabwe but will not hesitate to take additional measures to hold accountable those who deny Zimbabweans fundamental freedoms and good governance.
