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US widens Belarus sanctions on 23 December 2020
Summary
A look back at Washington's additional measures against Belarusian officials and four offices over human rights abuses during the protests against President Alexander Lukashenko.
What did Washington do about Belarus on 23 December 2020? The Trump administration imposed additional sanctions on Belarusian officials and four offices, citing human rights abuses that occurred during the protests against President Alexander Lukashenko.
The step belonged to a wider pattern of international reactions to the 2020 Belarusian presidential election and the protests that followed. It also marked a distinct line in Belarus–United States relations: the measures targeted individuals and institutions linked to the handling of the demonstrations, rather than the country as a whole.
For Kyiv and other neighbouring capitals, the sanctions were a signal of continuing Western attention to events in Belarus. The announcement came in the final weeks of the Trump administration.
Elsewhere in the region's orbit
A separate crisis drew Russian involvement further afield. On 21 December 2020, Rwanda deployed what it called a protection force to the Central African Republic after its peacekeepers were attacked by rebels advancing on Bangui. Russia also sent troops and heavy weaponry to support the government there. Both the Rwandan and Central African Republic governments accused former President François Bozizé of backing the rebels and plotting a coup, which he denied.
