US slaps sanctions against officials from three African nations

The US issued a raft of sanctions including visa bans and asset freezes against several African officials from Sudan, Uganda and Zimbabwe, accusing them of undermining democracy, peace and security in their respective countries.

In Sudan, where two rival generals have fought a months-long civil war punctuated by widespread accounts of human-rights abuses against civilians, the State Department approved sanctions against Taha Osman Ahmed al-Hussein, a former State Minister under the now-ousted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, for his role in sending weapons to the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group.

Salah Abdallah Mohamed Salah, also known as Salah Gosh, a former security official who worked to return Bashir’s regime to power, was also identified as someone who has engaged in “security and military-related efforts” to bring the military-led government in Sudan back to power.

Fighting between the national army and the RSF has been raging for over seven months, claiming the lives of more than 9,000 people and forcing almost 6 million from their homes.

The sanctions came as cease-fire talks held in Saudi Arabia failed to yield an agreement between the warring sides.

In Uganda, the US slapped visa restrictions against officials it deemed “responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic process in Uganda” during its flawed 2021 election, which saw President Yoweri Museveni elected for a sixth term.

The sanctions come on top of other economic penalties from the US and World Bank in response to Uganda’s crackdown on gay rights, leading to a budget crunch. Museveni has recently chastised the US over its withdrawal of Uganda’s preferential trade access, and said the East African nation can achieve development targets without American support. 

And in Zimbabwe, a number of government officials believed to have manipulated or rigged elections in August this year were issued with visa bans.