Last month, officials in Zimbabwe detained and deported USAID officials and contractors who were conducting an assessment of Zimbabwe’s development and governance context. Members of the assessment team were subjected to aggressive treatment, prolonged interrogation and intimidation, unsafe and forced night transfers, overnight detention and confinement, and forced removal from the country. As we have made clear in the strongest possible terms to the Government of Zimbabwe, these actions taken against a team of development professionals who were lawfully admitted to Zimbabwe to support the Government of Zimbabwe’s stated commitment to democratic reform, are egregious, unjustified and unacceptable.
The Zimbabwean government has said it wants to pursue international re-engagement and democratic reforms. Its actions undermine those allegations. We take the safety and security of American citizens very seriously and demand accountability from the government of Zimbabwe. The US State Department said in a statement that the people of Zimbabwe deserve better and we will continue to support them as we work to build a more inclusive democratic society with accountable political leaders and government institutions.
