Zimbabwe's Mugabe Threatens U.S., UK Firms Over Western Sanctions

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe threatened on Sunday to retaliate "tit for tat" against companies from Britain and the United States if these Western powers persisted in pressuring his government with sanctions and what he called "harassment".

"They should not continue to harass us, the British and Americans," Mugabe, Africa's oldest leader at 89, said at the funeral of an airforce officer.

"We have not done anything to their companies here, the British have several companies in this country, and we have not imposed any controls, any sanctions against them, but time will come when we will say well, tit for tat, you hit me I hit you."

Mugabe has fiercely rejected questioning from the West of a July 31 election that returned him to power in the southern African country he has ruled for 33 years. His main rival called the election a "huge fraud".