London, Harare | Thursday
BRITISH and European diplomats in Zimbabwe have held secret talks on the possible evacuation of up to 25 000 British citizens from the country, The Independent newspaper reported on Thursday.
Amid widespread violent looting of white-owned farms, the talks were held to update a contingency plan to help British nationals and other foreigners escape should their lives be endangered, the broadsheet said.
A representative for Britain’s Foreign Office said that there were contingency measures to evacuate British citizens, but there were no plans to implement them “at this stage”.
The Independent quoted Richard Lindsay, a diplomat at the British High Commission in Harare, as saying: “Yes, it is true that we have a plan in place to help our citizens in Zimbabwe, but I cannot disclose the details.”
Such a massive operation is likely to be attempted only as a last resort if violence continues to spread, the paper said.
A Foreign Office representative said: “Part of the Foreign Office’s responsibility is to draw up contingency plans if it were necessary to evacuate British citizens.
“We have such plans for pretty much every country in the world. We do have such a plan for Zimbabwe. But we have no plans to implement it at this stage.”
Four Zimbabwean journalists arrested early on Wednesday have been freed after a High Court ordered their arrest unlawful The Independent reported that dilomats from Belgium, which has 230 nationals in Zimbabwe, have held at least one meeting to review the situation and update contingency planning.
A Belgian foreign ministry representative told the paper it had an “operational” evacuation plan, but added that the large number of EU citizens in Zimbabwe made it impossible to envisage the imminent departure of the European population.
Some 25 000 citizens of Britain, Zimbabwe’s former colonial master, are registered with the High Commission in Harare, although there may be as many as 40 000 in the country, The Independent added.
Other embassies considering evacuation include those of Canada, which has 500 citizens in Zimbabwe, and Australia, which has 400, the paper said.
Meantime, four Zimbabwean journalists arrested early on Wednesday have been freed after a High Court ordered their arrest unlawful, a lawyer said.
The newsmen from the country’s sole independent daily were arrested early on Wednesday over a story implicating police in recent looting at white owned farms.
They were freed following the provisional granting by a high court of an order for their release on grounds that the arrest was illegal because the law under which they were being charged was invalid.
Geoff Nyarota, editor-in-chief of the Daily News, assistant editor Bill Saidi, news editor John Gambanga and reporter Sam Munyavi, were arrested by police on Wednesday and charged under the country’s Law and Order Maintenance Act (Loma) for allegedly publishing false news likely to cause alarm and despondency.
The arrest was linked to the paper’s coverage of the widespread looting of scores of white-owned farms in northeastern Zimbabwe by black farm occupiers in recent days.
A front-page story on Tuesday headlined “Police vehicles used in farm looting spree” quoted one unnamed farmer as saying some looters were seen driving around in police vehicles.
The section of the Loma under which they were charged was declared unconstitutional last year by the Supreme Court in the case against two other independence journalists who were arrested and tortured for publishing a story alleging a foiled coup plot by the military in Zimbabwe.
The looting in the Chinhoyi and the surrounding area was sparked by violent clashes between white farmers and occupiers at one of the farms. An orgy of looting and intimidation forced at least 300 whites to flee from their properties.
Police and farming officials say calm has returned to the area after they stepped up patrols and arrested at least 100 people in connection with the looting. – AFP