Zimbabwean police have arrested opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai for the second time this week, preventing him from attending a campaign rally for the upcoming presidential run-off vote on June 27. The Movement for Democratic Change, the opposition party, believes that President Robert Mugabe is trying to hinder Tsvangirai's campaign to maintain his long-standing grip on power. Tsvangirai was later released from police custody in Esigodini, located 40 km southeast of Bulawayo, after being stopped by armed police at a roadblock. The party condemned Tsvangirai's detention as a desperate and disgraceful act by the regime, urging authorities to allow Tsvangirai to fulfill his role as mandated by the people of Zimbabwe in restoring their dignity. The police have prohibited several planned campaign rallies due to concerns about the safety of party leaders. The party has stated their intention to take legal action to prevent police interference in their campaign. Police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena attributed the incident to the opposition, claiming that the MDC convoy had crashed through a roadblock. Tsvangirai, who won the election against Mugabe but did not secure enough votes to avoid a second ballot, was detained and questioned by police for eight hours. Additionally, police detained five U.S. and two British diplomats for several hours after they visited victims of political violence. Zimbabwe has also prevented relief agencies from operating in the country, leading to economic hardship. U.S. Ambassador James McGee, along with others who were detained on Thursday, has accused the government of using food aid as a means to gain votes. In a video conference call from Harare, McGee described the regime as desperate and willing to do anything to remain in power. The United States and Britain have blamed Mugabe's government for the detention of diplomats, stating that Zimbabwe is attempting to intimidate Tsvangirai's supporters. France's foreign ministry expressed deep concern about the atmosphere of intimidation and violence in Zimbabwe. According to the opposition, 65 people have died in violence since the first round of voting. Mugabe is pointing fingers at his opponents for the unrest. In response, Mugabe's government stopped the operations of all international aid organizations in the country, accusing some of them of supporting the opposition. Britain and the European Union have called for the ban to be lifted. U.N. officials stated that the suspension of aid would lead to increased suffering, while CARE expressed concern for the millions of aid-dependent Zimbabweans at risk. EU aid commissioner Louis Michel expressed deep distress over the uncertain future facing hundreds of thousands of people who rely on aid for survival. Zimbabwe, once prosperous, has experienced a decline in food production since 2000 when Mugabe's government seized white-owned farms as part of a land redistribution program. Many of these farms are now owned by Mugabe loyalists, leading to chronic food shortages and reliance on handouts and imports for food. Mugabe attributes the decline of Zimbabwe's once thriving economy to sanctions imposed by Western nations, while the opposition argues that he is responsible for the country's deterioration due to mismanagement. The Southern African Development Community, which consists of 14 nations including Zimbabwe, is deploying observers to oversee the upcoming run-off election.