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Police detain Zimbabwe's Tsvangirai again
Zimbabwean police detained opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Friday for the second time this week after blocking him from reaching a campaign rally for the June 27 presidential run-off vote.
- Agencies
- Published: 18:48 June 6, 2008
- Image Credit: Reuters
- Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai (right) looks on during a visit to Johannesburg in May.
Harare: Zimbabwean police detained opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Friday for the second time this week after blocking him from reaching a campaign rally for the June 27 presidential run-off vote.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change accuses President Robert Mugabe of trying to sabotage Tsvangirai's campaign in order to preserve his 28-year hold on power.
Tsvangirai was released from the police station at Esigodini, southeast of Zimbabwe's second largest city Bulawayo, a few hours after being stopped by armed police at a roadblock.
The party called Tsvangirai's detention "a shameless and desperate act".
Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena, however, blamed the opposition for the incident on Friday, saying the MDC convoy crashed through a roadblock.
Meanwhile, the US ambassador to Zimbabwe accused the Mugabe government of illegally using food aid as a weapon to get votes in the run-off election.
"If you have an MDC card, you can receive food but first you have to give the national identity card to the government officials, which means they will hold onto it until after the election. Again, you will not be able to vote," Ambassador James McGee said in Harare.
"The only way you can access food is to give up your right to vote," said McGee. "It is absolutely illegal."
On Thursday, Mugabe's government suspended the work of all international aid agencies in the southern African country, saying some of them were campaigning for the opposition.
McGee condemned the move and said while there appeared to be enough food aid in stock until the election, he predicted "massive, massive starvation" after the poll as supplies ran out.
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