Britain’s new ambassador to Zimbabwe, Gill Lever, presented her credentials to President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday 15 October and set out the priorities she plans to pursue in Harare, according to reports by The Herald and New Zimbabwe.

Speaking after the meeting, Lever described the relationship between the two countries as a “modern respectful partnership”. She said she and the president had discussed bilateral relations, and that her priorities are trade and investment, opportunities for women and girls, and stronger people-to-people links between Britain and Zimbabwe.

Both outlets report that she pointed to a US$50 million financing deal announced last month through British International Investment, aimed at supporting farmers and entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe. The Herald reports that she also referred to investments intended to help address the country’s energy needs.

She also stressed stronger people-to-people links between the two countries. The reports do not say what specific measures that might involve, and neither carries a response from the Zimbabwean government beyond the meeting itself.

Her remarks, as quoted by both outlets, struck a cooperative tone focused on economic ties. The two reports spell her given names slightly differently, so this article uses the shorter form, Gill Lever.

Sources: The Herald, New Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwean constitutional lawyer Brian Kagoro was removed from a Nairobi-bound flight in Addis Ababa on Tuesday and prevented from reboarding, despite a Kenyan High Court order protecting his right to enter the country.

The Pan African Lawyers Union said Kagoro, 51, had boarded the flight when security personnel took him off the aircraft and questioned him. He was then barred from reboarding, making it impossible to complete the journey.

“The circumstances under which he was removed from the aircraft, questioned and prevented from continuing his journey are deeply concerning, particularly given the existing court order directing that he be granted entry into Kenya,” PALU said. It added that his legal team was seeking urgent clarification from the authorities and taking steps to enforce the order.

Kagoro, who is Africa Director at the Open Society Foundations and a co-founder of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, was detained for more than ten hours at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on 22 February this year, declared persona non grata and flown back to Johannesburg. Kenyan officials accused him of involvement in a foreign-funded network seeking to coordinate anti-government protests. He denied the allegations, saying he had travelled for a family event and a speaking engagement.

PALU, the East Africa Law Society, the Law Society of Kenya and the Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists filed a constitutional petition challenging the deportation on due process and rule-of-law grounds. In June the Constitutional and Human Rights Division of the High Court issued conservatory orders protecting Kagoro against further arbitrary denial of entry, pending determination of that petition. Tuesday’s trip was made under that order.

Kenyan civil society organisations had planned to receive him at the airport in a public show of solidarity, with a press briefing to follow. Both were cancelled.

More than 20 civil society organisations, professional associations and business figures have since demanded that the government comply with the order and account publicly for what happened, including whether Kenyan officials asked for or caused his removal in Addis Ababa.

“A court order binds every public officer and state agency. Immigration or national security powers cannot lawfully be used, directly or indirectly, to defeat it,” their statement said. They noted the incident fell on the International Day of Democracy.

Sources: Nairobi News; The Eastleigh Voice; Nehanda Radio; Kenyans.co.ke; statement by the Pan African Lawyers Union.

The Netherlands is to close its embassy in Harare as part of a wider restructuring of its diplomatic network, the Dutch government has announced, in a decision that will also affect its work in Zambia and Malawi.

The closure was set out in a letter from Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Tom Berendsen to the Netherlands House of Representatives, outlining plans to realign the country’s overseas mission network in response to what the government described as changing global dynamics.

“Our embassies are crucial in order to effectively promote the interests of our Kingdom. They are the eyes, ears and voice of the Netherlands abroad,” Berendsen said. “It is important for us to continually adapt the mission network with a view to geopolitical developments, and to make careful decisions on how and where Dutch interests will best be served.”

In a statement, the Netherlands Embassy in Zimbabwe acknowledged the decision would be significant news for partners and friends in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi, given the relationships built up over the years.

“The decision is part of a broader restructuring of the Netherlands’ diplomatic network and does not change our appreciation for the close ties or our commitment to working with the respective governments and other partners across the region,” the embassy said, adding that it was focused on “ensuring a careful transition towards closure”.

The Dutch government also confirmed it would shut missions in Tripoli, Bujumbura and Yangon, along with its consulate-general in Rio de Janeiro. Dutch interests in the affected countries will in future be handled from embassies in neighbouring states. The government said it would explore opening embassies in Podgorica and Windhoek, working with Belgium and Luxembourg.

The announcement lands weeks after Sweden closed its own Harare embassy. The Swedish government confirmed that 31 August was the last day its Harare office was open to visitors, as it phased out bilateral development cooperation with Zimbabwe after decades of direct engagement, while saying diplomatic relations would continue with a sharper focus on trade and investment.

Sources: NewZimbabwe.com; NewsDay Zimbabwe; The Zimbabwean; Sweden Abroad (Embassy of Sweden, Harare).