May 25, 2021 | House Committee on Foreign Affairs

Impact of Sanctions in Africa

Subcommittee: Africa, Global Health, and Global Human Rights
May 25, 2021 | House Committee on Foreign Affairs

Impact of Sanctions in Africa

Subcommittee: Africa, Global Health, and Global Human Rights

Video

May 25, 2021

Opening Statement

As prepared for delivery

Chairwoman Bass, Ranking Member Smith, and distinguished members of the committee, I am honored to appear before you today to discuss the impact of sanctions in Africa. I come before this committee as an economic sanctions and compliance professional, having worked at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and having advised financial institutions, corporations, humanitarian organizations, and individuals on ensuring they operate in compliance with U.S., EU, and UN sanctions obligations.

My testimony today will focus on the impact of sanctions in Africa, in particular the United States’ use of targeted sanctions to counter specific malign activity. I will provide an overview of the different types of sanctions used by the United States and then discuss how the U.S. government has employed sanctions in Africa to disrupt corrupt networks, terrorist financing, and human rights abuses. Understanding the key differences in the programs the United States employs in Africa against particular regimes and conduct versus other, comprehensively sanctioned jurisdictions such as Iran, Syria, and North Korea, is important when assessing their impact and some of the risks of their use. While sanctions can be a powerful tool to disrupt specific illicit activity in Africa, they should be used in conjunction with other forms of pressure and in close partnership with allies, partners, and the private sector to achieve maximum impact.

Read the full written testimony here. 

Download

Download
Full written testimony

Issues:

Al Qaeda Hezbollah Iran Global Threat Network Iran-backed Terrorism Islamic State Jihadism Sanctions and Illicit Finance