Zimbabwe’s ruling party has labelled the US ambassador to Harare a thug and accused him of training insurgents.
Tensions are rising in the country ahead of a planned opposition demonstration this Friday.
This was a strongly worded statement that won’t go down with the US embassy.
Zanu-PF spokesman Patrick Chinamasa labelled US ambassador Brian Nichols a thug, accusing him of fronting what he termed a “coterie of gangsters and mercenaries disguised as diplomats”.
Chinamasa also accused the ambassador of funding disturbances in the country, and co-ordinating violence and insurgency.
The US embassy has not yet responded to these allegations, which come ahead of anti-corruption protests planned by the opposition for this Friday.
The ruling party believes the protests are an attempt to unseat it.