Eighteen war veterans have been charged with extortion, theft and kidnapping in connection with raids on businesses in Harare, agencies reported on Monday.
Reports said the 18 were among 26 people arrested in a crackdown on the pro-government militants who have for the last two months been raiding Zimbabwe’s urban businesses, often extorting money in the name of settling “labour disputes.” They are accused of stealing or extorting a total of about US $150,000 and a car in six different raids.
The charges included some of the most notorious attacks, including one on Zimbabwe’s top private clinic, the Avenues Clinic, and another on the Canadian aid agency CARE. War veterans accosted Canada’s ambassador to Zimbabwe during the raid on CARE, prompting Canada to suspend all development aid to Zimbabwe. Police began cracking down on the activists led by former guerrillas last Wednesday after the government ordered an immediate halt to the business invasions.
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