The military in Zimbabwe says it has temporarily taken control of the country to “target criminals” around the president, Robert Mugabe, amid high tension and reports of explosions in Harare.
Soldiers have sealed access to parliament, government offices and courts in the capital, residents said. Access to the president’s official residence was also blocked by troops.
A military spokesman, Maj Gen SB Moyo made an announcement on state television early on Wednesday saying Mugabe and his family were “safe and sound and their security is guaranteed”. Troops had seized the network’s offices late on Tuesday night.
Moyo said the army was targeting “criminals around” Mugabe, who were “committing crimes that are causing social and economic suffering in order to bring them to justice”.
The takeover comes amid a bitter battle over who will succeed 93-year-old Mugabe.
Emerson Mnangagwa, the veteran vice-president and former spy chief who has strong support among many in Zimbabwe’s armed forces, was unceremoniously fired last week.
The move opened the road to power open to Grace Mugabe, the president’s 53-year-old wife, and a rival faction within the ruling Zanu-PF party. The finance minister, Ignatius Chombo, a member of Grace Mugabe’s G40, was reportedly among those detained by the military.
Insisting it was not a coup, Moyo said “as soon as [the armed forces] are done the situation will come to normalcy”.
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“We urge you to remain calm and limit unnecessary movement. However, we encourage those who are employed and those with essential business in the city to continue their normal activities as usual,” he said.
Moyo said the army had acted because the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation had been ordered not to broadcast a statement from the military on Monday and “the situation in our country has moved to another level”.
Cancelling all leave for members of the military, he urged the security forces to “cooperate for the good of our country”. He warned “any provocation will be met with an appropriate response”.
There were reports of a number of loud explosions and some incidents of members of the armed forces harassing passers-by during the night.
Residents of Harare said the city was quiet on Wednesday morning, though the usually busy streets were empty. There was no sign of any disturbance elsewhere in the country.
A witness told Agence France-Presse that gunfire had erupted near Mugabe’s private residence in the suburb of Borrowdale early on Wednesday, but there was no independent confirmation of the report.
Nelson Chamisa, the deputy head of opposition MDC party, called for “peace, constitutionalism, democratisation, the rule of law and the sanctity of human life”.
The US embassy in the capital tweeted out a message citing “ongoing uncertainty.” A statement later posted by the embassy told US citizens in Zimbabwe to “shelter in place until further notice”.
The British embassy said that due to the “uncertain political situation” British nationals should remain at home.
Source: theguardian
