Zimbabwean authorities are grateful to the country's security services for exposing and deporting "illegal US agents", Farai Muroiwa Marapira, director of information and public relations of Zimbabwe's ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party, told Sputnik.
The ZANU-PF official stressed that Washington should realize that Zimbabwe is a sovereign country whose laws should be respected.
This comes in response to the recent expulsion of a USAID team allegedly overseeing a "democracy, human rights, and governance assessment," as reported by US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. The US officials were allegedly subjected to aggressive treatment, prolonged interrogation, intimidation, unsafe transportation at night, detention, and ultimately forced removal from Zimbabwe.
In contrast, Marapira expressed Zimbabwe's satisfaction with the detention and deportation of these individuals, labeling them as saboteurs who had engaged in unauthorized clandestine meetings within the country. He underscored the importance of diplomatic etiquette and adherence to Zimbabwe's laws for all visitors.
The Zimbabwean government previously stated that the four US citizens attached to USAID had entered the country discreetly, holding unauthorized meetings and collecting information aimed at supporting what they described as Washington's hostile stance towards Zimbabwe.
The government disclosed that around 12 such meetings had occurred before the expulsions. Marapira extended his gratitude to the security services for their role in uncovering and handling the situation.