Zimbabwe’s ruling political party, ZANU-PF, is threatening the United States ambassador with expulsion over claims that it funded anti-government protests within the country.
The Associated Press reported Tuesday that ZANU-PF referred to Ambassador Brian Nichols as part of a “gangster gang,” accusing him of “mobilizing and financing riots, coordinating violence and training the insurgency.”
“Our leadership will not hesitate to give you marching orders,” added the party. “Diplomats shouldn’t behave like thugs, and Brian Nichols is a thug.”
Tibor Nagy, deputy secretary of the African Affairs Office of the US State Department, responded in a tweet calling the party’s statement “deeply offensive.”
“We have called the Zimbabwean Ambassador to explain to us,” said Nagy.
#ZANUPF’s comments, while unfortunately not surprising, are deeply offensive. We have called the Ambassador of Zimbabwe to explain to us. https://t.co/dWjDEVqZqM
– Tibor Nagy (@AsstSecStateAF) July 28, 2020
ZANU-PF was previously the party of the country’s long-standing leader Robert Mugabe, before his death in 2017.
He chose Emmerson Mnangagwa to replace Mugabe, and Mnangagwa currently serves as the country’s third president since his white majority government was toppled in 1980.
Activists have been pressuring Mnangagwa amid allegations of corruption and serious economic problems for the South African nation, and the United States Embassy in Harare has repeatedly called on the government in recent weeks to respect human rights.
Under Mugabe, Western ambassadors were regularly threatened with expulsion.
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