Zimbabwe: ZANU-PF Slams “Thug” US Ambassador

Zimbabwe’s ruling party has landed in hot water with the US government after labelling its ambassador a “thug”.

Speaking on behalf of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) at a press briefing on Monday, 27 July, spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa accused their American counterparts of sponsoring anti-government protests across the country.

Chinamasa then directed harsh words towards the US ambassador to Zimbabwe, Brian Nichols.

He said: “[Nichols] continues to engage in acts of undermining this republic, and … if he continues engaging in acts of mobilising and funding disturbances, co-ordinating violence and training fighters, our leadership will not hesitate to give him marching orders. Diplomats should not behave like thugs, and Brian Nichols is a thug.”

The US embassy in Harare has yet to comment on Chinamasa’s remarks.

This is not the first time that Nichols has provoked ire from ZANU-PF – last November, he was threatened with expulsion after a Zimbabwean minister accused him of “behaving and conducting himself like an opposition member.”

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