The Chinese government issued a withering critique of the United States on Thursday, in a lengthy document that targeted American actions across the globe, including the African continent. “The United States is the inventor and master of coercive diplomacy,” said the report, called “America’s Coercive Diplomacy and Its Harm.” In…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
President Kais Saïed needs to face “real costs to democratic backsliding” in the increasingly authoritarian Tunisia, according to nearly two dozen former U.S. diplomats and academic experts calling for—among other things—economic sanctions and a hold on a controversial US$1.9 billion International Monetary Fund loan. “The U.S. should immediately suspend all…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
The United States has imposed new sanctions on six people linked to Boko Haram who were working to establish a cell of the Nigerian extremist group in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The six – Abdurrahman Ado Musa, Salihu Yusuf Adamu, Bashir Ali Yusuf, Muhammed Ibrahim Isa, Ibrahim Ali Alhassan,…
The United States has broadened its efforts to place sanctions against Russian elites in connection with the armed conflict in Ukraine, this time adding a group of individuals that includes Pevgeniy Prigozhin, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin was previously targeted by the U.S. Department of Treasury for…
China denies that its policies put African nations in “debt traps” that will collapse like a “house of cards,” a comment made last month by Adam Boehler, head of the United States International Development Finance Corporation. Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Monday there is no connection between debt loads…
The South Sudanese vice president placed under sanctions by the United States government for human rights abuses insisted on Thursday that he has been wrongfully accused. The targeted sanctions against Taban Deng Gai were announced earlier this week by the U.S. Dept. of Treasury, and follow similar sanctions against five…
The United States government has put its previously threatened economic sanctions on Turkey into force, targeting top Turkish government agencies and officials as tensions between the two nations in the Middle East continued to escalate. “The Turkish government’s actions are endangering innocent civilians and destabilizing the region, including undermining the…
The United States announced new economic sanctions against the Gupta family and an associate on Thursday, adding another international layer of consequences to South Africa’s “State Capture” corruption saga – one that has ensnared numerous firms, state entities and elected officials including former president Jacob Zuma. The sanctions under the…
The United Nations Security Council agreed on Thursday to extend sanctions imposed in Mali against those who are interfering with the progress of a 2015 peace agreement for the Sahel nation. The sanctions, now in force until the end of August 2020, were first put in place in 2017. They…
Prominent actor George Clooney and human rights activist John Prendergast are the co-founders of The Sentry, an organization that tracks corruption and conflict. Now they’ve appealed to the United States government to act on the Sudan crisis with sanctions and anti-money laundering measures. The two wrote an appeal in a…
Sixteen human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and the Enough Project as well as regional African groups, have asked the United Nations Security Council to maintain the arms embargo and other sanctions in South Sudan while pressuring leaders to implement the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict…
News that Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has hired a Washington DC firm to lobby the United States government on its behalf – and will spend $500,000 a year to do so – has raised a furor in the economically stricken southern African nation. The agreement, first reported by Politico…
While the European Union has declined to impose additional sanctions against Zimbabwe, there remains much concern over human rights and democratic principles amid the country’s economic and political crisis. “We have seen a crackdown on demonstrations in January – just a month ago – as well as the disproportionate use of force by…
South Africa has issued the latest appeal to the international community to lift longstanding sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe in order to alleviate pressures contributing to its economic and political crises. “Zimbabwe has been going through a challenging socioeconomic situation, which has inadvertently had an impact on South Africa. We have…
The United States on Monday announced criminal charges are filed against Chinese telecom giant Huawei, including relevant subsidiaries and executives, because of alleged violations of U.S. sanctions against Iran and related financial crimes. The Department of Justice filing targets Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou among them: She is charged with bank…