Zimbabwean police detained opposition chief Morgan Tsvangirai for the second time in three days yesterday, as aid agencies expressed outrage at a ban on them working in the stricken country.
Armed officers escorted Tsvangirai to a police station after he ignored orders not to campaign ahead of a presidential runoff, his party’s chairman said.
“We have been instructed to go back to Esigodini police station,” Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party Chairman Lovemore Moyo said by telephone while traveling with Tsvangirai to the station.
“The police are saying they had told us initially not to proceed as they are saying all the rallies have been canceled,” he said.
At least two police armed with AK rifles escorted Tsvangirai and his entourage to the station, Moyo and witnesses said.
The opposition leader’s latest run-in with authorities came as Mugabe’s government said aid groups would only be allowed to resume operations if they pledged not to interfere in politics.
The government has accused them of openly siding with the opposition in the build-up to the ballot. It also follows a confrontation between police and US and British diplomats at a roadblock on Thursday.
The authorities accused the diplomats, whose detention triggered a furious response from Washington and London, of behaving like “common criminals” by refusing to cooperate with police.
In a country beset by food shortages, aid agencies now play a major role in supplying and distributing staples such as maize and cooking oil.
Relations between Western charities and the Mugabe regime have long been strained, with the government previously forcing aid groups to channel their efforts through local officials.
However, the order to cease all field work marks a dramatic downturn in the relationship.
“As we speak there are no NGOs. All NGOs have been asked to reapply for registration,” Zimbabwean Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga said.
“They were involved in political activities and behaving like political parties when they were supposed to complement government efforts,” he said.
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