bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, the world’s oldest head of state, refused to resign during a crunch meeting on Thursday with military generals who pushed him from power and seized control of the country.
The talks in Harare came after soldiers blockaded key roads, took over state television and detained the veteran leader.
“They met today. He is refusing to step down. I think he is trying to buy time,” said a source who declined to be named.
Mugabe’s motorcade reportedly took him from his private residence to State House for talks which were held alongside meetings with envoys from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional bloc.
Images of the meeting showed Mugabe dressed in a navy blue blazer and grey trousers standing alongside army chief General Constantino Chiwenga who smiled and was dressed in camouflage military fatigues.


Zimbabwe was left stunned at the military intervention against Mugabe, 93, who has ruled the country since independence from British rule in 1980.
Despite Mugabe’s refusal to resign, attention has shifted to the prominent figures who could play a role in any transitional government.
Morgan Tsvangirai, a former prime minister and long-time opponent of Mugabe, told journalists in Harare that Mugabe must resign “in the interest of the people”.
He added that “a transitional mechanism” would be needed to ensure stability.
Zimbabweans face uncertain future beyond Robert Mugabe as African Union refuses to accept ‘military coup d’etat’
Tendai Biti, an internationally-respected figure who served as finance minister during the coalition government after the 2008 elections, called it “a very delicate time for Zimbabwe”.
“A way has to be worked out to maintain stability. That restoration requires a road map and to address the grievances that have led to this situation,” he said.
Mugabe’s advanced age, poor health and listless public performances fuelled the bitter succession battle between his wife Grace and vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa, who Mugabe sacked last week.
Mnangagwa, 75, was previously one of Mugabe’s most loyal lieutenants, having worked alongside him for decades.
But he fled to South Africa following his dismissal and published a scathing five-page rebuke of Mugabe’s leadership and Grace’s presidential ambitions.

The military generals were strongly opposed to Grace’s rise, while Mnangagwa has maintained close ties to the army and could emerge as the next president.
“People want the constitution to be upheld. The talks should look at how to deal with the Mugabe issue in a progressive manner,” political analyst Earnest Mudzengi said.
Eldred Masunungure, a lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe, added that the formation of a “pre-election coalition” could be a viable response to the crisis.
From Libya’s Gadhafi to Liberia’s warlord Taylor to Zimbabwe’s Mugabe: here’s a look at Africa’s deposed leaders
Many Zimbabweans hoped the situation would lead to a more prosperous future.
“We needed change. Our situation has been pathetic,” said Keresenzia Moyo, 65. “The economy has been in the doldrums for a very long time. We are happy with what has been done.”
However a spokesman for the ruling ZANU-PF party, Simon Khaya Moyo, insisted it was business as usual. “It’s normal, everything is normal with the party,” he said.
Harare’s residents largely ignored the few soldiers still on the streets on Thursday and continued commuting, socialising and working. The international community watched the crisis closely.


Over 100 dead in torrential rains and floods across southern Africa

How China-built Ecowas headquarters is latest ‘concrete symbol’ of Africa ties

Before Dominic Johnson-Hill started a Hong Kong art walk, he was a star on Chinese television

Venezuela closes embassy in Norway after Machado wins Nobel Peace Prize

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe refuses to resign as president in talks with army

People's Rainbow Coalition leader Joice Mujuru (3rd R) speaks at a press conference where she called for a transitional arrangement tending to the economy and electoral reform, on November 16, 2017, in Harare. Zimbabweans on November 16 weighed a future without their leader of nearly four decades after the army placed 93-year-old President Robert Mugabe, a liberation hero turned authoritarian leader, under house arrest. / AFP PHOTO / -

File photo of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, who has refused to step down as president in talks with the army that has seemingly ousted him from power. Photo: AP

News

World

Africa