WORLD NEWS DECEMBER 23, 2019 / 12:17 PM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO

U.S. recalls its ambassador to Zambia after gay rights row: sources

LUSAKA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has withdrawn its ambassador to Zambia following a row with authorities in the southern African nation after he criticized the jailing of a gay couple, embassy sources said on Monday.

A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said Washington is “dismayed” by the Zambian government’s statement that

Ambassador Daniel Foote’s position “is no longer tenable.”

“Despite this action, the United States remains committed to our partnership with the Zambian people,” the spokesperson said. “We seek an open and frank relationship of mutual respect, commensurate with the generous aid provided to the Zambian people by the United States.”

Zambia’s high court last month jailed the male gay couple for 15 years for engaging in sexual relations “against the order of nature”, a decision the U.S. ambassador said was horrifying.

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