On 5 June 2008 Zimbabwean authorities briefly detained a convoy carrying U.S. and British diplomatic personnel. The incident began after a contingent of diplomats from the U.S. and U.K. embassies in Harare paid visits to activists of the opposition party Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) as well as several victims of political violence in a town north of the capital. Local police officers approached the diplomats and ordered them to a nearby police station. The situation escalated when the diplomats refused the order and departed in their three vehicles, which were then pursued by police officers. After splitting into different directions, one vehicle made it safely to the U.S. Embassy; Zimbabwean authorities pursued the other two for several miles and attempted to run them off the road. The vehicles eventually stopped in Bindura (located approximately 49 mi/80 km from Harare) at a police checkpoint, where their tires were slashed. The diplomats were detained for approximately five hours.

In a separate development on 5 June, the government announced the indefinite suspension of all field work by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and aid groups within the country. This development follows the recent suspension of CARE International’s operations in Zimbabwe after the government accused the organization of campaigning for the opposition. The government stated that several groups have “breached the terms and conditions of their registration,” although it did not give specific reasons for the suspension. This development will have adverse affects in Zimbabwe, as a large percentage of the population is dependent on aid groups and NGOs for food aid.