Zimbabwean police arrested opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai for the second time in a week, preventing him from attending a campaign rally for the upcoming presidential run-off vote. The opposition party believes that President Robert Mugabe is intentionally trying to hinder Tsvangirai's campaign to maintain his long-standing power. Tsvangirai was later released from police custody and the opposition party condemned his detention as a desperate and unjust act. They called for the government to allow Tsvangirai to fulfill his duty to the people of Zimbabwe. It was reported that police had prohibited several planned campaign rallies due to concerns about the safety of party leaders. The organization stated that they would take legal action against the police to prevent any interference in the campaign. Police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena attributed the incident to the opposition, claiming that the MDC convoy had broken through a roadblock. Tsvangirai, who won against Mugabe in a March 29 election but did not secure enough votes to avoid a second ballot, was detained and questioned by police for eight hours on Wednesday. Additionally, on Thursday, police detained five U.S. and two British diplomats for a few hours after they visited victims of political violence. Zimbabwe also prohibited relief agencies from operating in the country, leading to economic hardship. U.S. Ambassador James McGee, who was detained on Thursday, accused the government the next day of using food aid as a tactic to gain votes. He described the regime as desperate and willing to do anything to maintain power during a video conference call from Harare. The United States and Britain have placed blame on Mugabe's government for detaining the diplomats, stating that Zimbabwe is attempting to intimidate Tsvangirai's supporters. The foreign ministry of France expressed deep concern over the atmosphere of intimidation and violence in Zimbabwe. The opposition claims that 65 people have died in violent incidents since the start of the election process. President Mugabe has accused his opponents of causing the violence. In response to allegations of meddling in the election, Mugabe's government halted the operations of all foreign aid organizations in the country. Britain and the European Union have called for the ban to be lifted. United Nations officials have stated that the suspension of aid in Zimbabwe will lead to increased suffering, and the organization CARE has warned that millions of aid-dependent Zimbabweans are now at risk. EU aid commissioner Louis Michel expressed deep distress over the situation, noting that hundreds of thousands of people who rely on aid from the European Commission and other sources for survival are facing an even more uncertain future. Zimbabwe, once a prosperous country in Africa, has experienced a decline in food production since 2000, when President Mugabe's government began seizing white-owned farms as part of a land redistribution program. This has led to chronic food shortages, forcing the country to rely on handouts and imports to feed its population. Mugabe attributes the decline of the previously thriving economy to sanctions imposed by Western nations, while the opposition claims he destroyed Zimbabwe through poor management. The Southern African Development Community, which consists of 14 nations including Zimbabwe, is deploying observers to oversee the upcoming run-off election.