Harare - Canada has protested to the Zimbabwean government after its top diplomat and a Canadian international aid group director were assaulted by militants, the Canadian embassy in Harare said on Monday.
Canada's High Commissioner to Zimbabwe, James Wall, was pushed and shoved on Friday when he tried to stop the militants from abducting the director of the aid agency CareE International, Dennis O'Brien, said the embassy.
"The Canadian high commissioner has protested strongly about the incident," said a political officer at the Canadian embassy.
Care workers had made a distress call to the high commission and said two militants were trying to abduct O'Brien because of a labour dispute with one of Care's former workers.
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Gangs have raided scores of private businesses and non-governmental organisations About a dozen of the militants - who call themselves war veterans even though many of them are too young to have fought in the 1970s war against Rhodesia's white minority rulers - took part in the raid, said the officer.
Britain, South Africa and Germany have also lodged complaints with the Zimbabwean authorities after attacks on their nationals by the self-styled veterans.
The veterans have accused aid organisations and some diplomatic missions of supporting political opposition to Mugabe and the ruling Zanu-PF party.
Gangs have raided scores of private businesses and non-governmental organisations in recent weeks demanding that employers reinstate sacked workers and pay compensation.
Political analysts see the campaign as an attempt to win workers' support for President Robert Mugabe ahead of presidential elections next year. - Reuters
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