This archive report was first published on 26 October 2019.
On October 26, 2019, the United States announced it would deny a visa to Zimbabwe's security minister, Owen Ncube, under a sanctions law targeting "gross violations of human rights".
The move comes as the US expressed alarm over Zimbabwe's government crackdown on protests and the opposition, with at least 17 people dying in anti-government protests in January after a fuel price hike.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated, "We are deeply troubled by the Zimbabwean government's use of state-sanctioned violence against peaceful protesters and civil society, as well as against labour leaders and members of the opposition leaders in Zimbabwe."
Western powers had tense relations with Zimbabwe's veteran ruler Robert Mugabe for years, but hopes for a thaw after his ousting in November 2017 were short-lived.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa's administration has struggled to revive Zimbabwe's troubled economy, with inflation still skyrocketing and shortages of basic goods.
