Zimbabwean authorities in February deported staff from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) who were assessing democracy and governance there. This was announced on March 8 by the head of the press service of the United States State Department, Matthew Miller.
“Last month, Zimbabwean officials suddenly detained and deported USAID officials and contractors who were assessing the development and governance situation in Zimbabwe,” said a press release published on website State Department
It is noted that the assessment team was subjected to aggressive treatment, intimidation and interrogation, overnight detention, and deportation from the country. As Miller said, such actions towards American citizens “are egregious, unjustified and unacceptable.”
“The Zimbabwean government has said it wants to continue international cooperation and democratic reforms. Her actions undermine these claims. We take the safety of US citizens seriously and demand responsibility from the government of Zimbabwe,” the State Department spokesman said.
Last October, the population of Armenia booed the head of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Samantha Power, who came to assess the conditions for accepting refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh. The protesters demanded that sanctions be imposed against Azerbaijan or that they “go to their own country.”
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