Zimbabwe forcibly removes USAID officials on assessment mission

The United States on Friday said Zimbabwean officials last month "abruptly detained and deported" US Agency for International Development officials who had been in the country on an assessment mission, Azernews reports, citing Reuters.

The US State Department said Zimbabwe's actions undermined its claims of wanting to pursue international reengagement following human rights concerns in the African country.

Human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch in recent years have alleged democratic backsliding, rights abuses including torture by state security forces and government corruption in Zimbabwe.

The US has also expressed concerns, with Washington imposing sanctions on the country's president earlier this week. Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa won a second term in August in a disputed vote that the opposition described as a "gigantic fraud" and election observers said failed to meet regional and international standards.