The United States government has imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe’s President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, along with other senior officials, for corruption and human rights abuses.

The US government said leaders in Zimbabwe were siphoning off public resources for personal gain.

In a statement, it said these illicit activities support and contribute to a global criminal network of bribery, smuggling, and money laundering that impoverish communities in Zimbabwe, southern Africa, and other parts of the world.

This move scraps the old executive sanction order introduced in 2003 and moves 11 individuals and three entities onto the global list – the Global Magnitsky sanctions programme.