Zimbabwe elections: Tsvangirai detained as agencies' work suspended

from the Guardian

James Orr and agencies

The Zimbabwean opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, was detained again today as the government banned all foreign aid agencies from operating in the country where millions are close to starvation.

The leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), and his campaign convoy was stopped at a roadblock and ordered to follow officers to a police station.

Reporters with the convoy heard police say that the planned rallies were illegal. Tsvangirai was ordered to go to Esigodini, a town about 30 miles south-east of Bulawayo.

It was the second time in recent days Tsvangirai has been detained and prevented from holding rallies in the run up to an election run-off later this month.

The ban on foreign aid agencies was announced by the government, which accused organisations of campaigning for opposition parties during the country's disputed presidential elections in March.

Last week, Robert Mugabe instructed some NGOs to suspend their activities, but the new announcement covers all overseas organisations working in the country.

In a public statement, Zimbabwe's social welfare minister, Nicholas Goche, said: "I hereby instruct all PVOs (private voluntary organisations)/NGOs to suspend all field operations until further notice."

The shock tactic means British charities working in the troubled country are now unlikely to be able to provide care for the millions of Zimbabweans reliant on aid.

Dominic Nutt, a spokesman for Save the Children, said: "We are seriously concerned about the consequences relating to reports of the suspension of aid operations in Zimbabwe, particularly for the most vulnerable children who we work with and who need our help."

Judith Melby, Africa specialist for Christian Aid, which has been involved in Zimbabwe since its independence in 1980, said: "It is certainly going to have an extremely detrimental effect - it is quite frightening, frankly."

Some 10 million Zimbabweans out of a total population of 13 million people live below the poverty line. Four million of those rely on food aid.

Earlier this week Zimbabwe ordered aid agency Care International to halt its operations pending an investigation into allegations that had been politically active.

Care recalled its field staff but strongly denied the accusation, saying its projects benefited more than 1.8 million Zimbabweans.

Oxfam said in a statement: "International NGOs - Oxfam included - have been unable to conduct food needs assessments, making preparation difficult for the impending hungry season.

"We reject the present government's assertion that international civil society agencies are aiding and abetting the opposition."

The decision to ban all overseas development agencies came as security forces yesterday detained and harassed UK and US diplomats trying to investigate reports of violence against the opposition.

Yesterday, security forces in the country detained and harassed UK and US diplomats trying to investigate reports of violence against the opposition.

Zimbabwe's ambassador to Britain, Gabriel Machinga, was summoned to the Foreign Office to explain why the diplomats, who were travelling in two separate convoys, had been stopped at roadblocks north of the capital, Harare.