Joylene Mtandwa | Outgoing United States of America President Barack Obama has given Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe a rude farewell by extending US sanctions against him, his wife, family and close aides by another year.
Just less than a week before leaving the White House at the end of his term, Obama signed an extension on US sanctions on Mugabe and his inner circle on accusations that Mugabe has not reformed on human rights abuses that caused the US to set sanctions on the aged leader.
President Robert Mugabe has previously challenged the US to remove the targeted sanctions claiming that Zimbabwe won’t achieve set United Nations development goals if the restrictive measures are maintained. Mugabe and his fellow ZANU PF officials insist that the western nations are punishing the country for possessing a lot of mineral wealth, which they want to exploit for their own benefit. Read Obama’s full statement below;
Letter — Continuation of National Emergency with Respect to Zimbabwe
TO THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
January 13, 2017
Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)
Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal
Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date. In accordance with this provision, I have sent to the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13288 of March 6, 2003, with respect to the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Zimbabwe and other persons to undermine Zimbabwe’s democratic processes or institutions is to continue in effect beyond March 6, 2017.
The crisis constituted by the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Zimbabwe and other persons to undermine Zimbabwe’s democratic processes or institutions has not been resolved. These actions and policies continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States. For these reasons, I have determined that it is necessary to continue this national emergency and to maintain in force the sanctions to respond to this threat.
Sincerely,
BARACK OBAMA
President Barak Obama has been a great president for America and the whole world, still I wish he had done more for Africa. He has let tyrants off the hook with nothing more than a slap on the wrest!