Zimbabwe: Robert Mugabe confined to home as army takes control – as it happened

We’re going to pause our live coverage for now. You can read our latest report here:

• The Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe, is being confined to his house by soldiers who surrounded his official and private residences, as well as other government buildings.
• Sources suggest Grace Mugabe, who was being positioned to eventually take over from her husband, has left Zimbabwe for Namibia.
• The sacked vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, was reported to have returned to Zimbabwe on Wednesday morning from South Africa, where he fled after being stripped of his office.
• The president of neighbouring South Africa, Jacob Zuma, said he had spoken to Mugabe, who was “fine” and that he was sending special envoys to meet both Zimbabwe’s president and its senior army officers.
• The UK government warned British nationals to stay indoors until the situation becomes clearer. The foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, called for restraint.
• Overnight, Zimbabwean defence forces seized control of the state broadcaster ZBC, with their spokesman Maj Gen SB Moyo screening a statement declaring they were “targeting criminals” around Mugabe.
  
• In a statement broadcast overnight, Moyo insisted:
  

We wish to make this abundantly clear this is not a military takeover of government. What the Zimbabwe defence forces is doing is to pacify a degenerating political, social and economic situation in our country, which if not addressed may result in violent conflict.

• But the statement made it clear the army had acted in response to a purge of Zanu-PF members, including the vice-president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was sacked by Mugabe last week, and had been angered by the failure of state media to report on a warning issued by the army chief, Gen Constantine Chiwenga, on Monday:

The situation in our country has moved to another level … To members of the Zimbabwe defence forces, all leave is cancelled and you are all to return to your barracks with immediate effect …

Let it be clear we intend to address the human security threats in our country. Therefore, any provocation will be met with an appropriate response.

• Armoured vehicles and troops have on Wednesday morning blocked roads in central Harare around government buildings and the presidential residence.
• There are reports that at least one minister, Ignatius Chombo, who holds the finance brief, has been detained by the military.
• Chombo is a leading member of the G40 faction of the ruling Zanu-PF party, led by Mugabe’s wife, Grace, who is vying to succeed the 93-year-old president. This faction is believed to be the target of the military’s action.

Read our latest report here:

Soldiers have blocked access to Zimbabwe’s parliament, some of its government offices and courts in the capital, Harare. Access to the president’s official residence was also prevented by troops, Boris Johnson, the UK foreign secretary, told the House of Commons.

Johnson would not be drawn when asked by Labour’s Kate Hoey whether or not he would support, should Mugabe be removed, the elevation to the Zimbabwean presidency of the sacked vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa, who she said is “probably the one person in Zimbabwe who inspires even greater terror” than the current president. Johnson replied:

It would be wrong for us, at this stage, to comment specifically about any personalities that may be involved, save perhaps to say this: that it is not obviously a particularly promising development in the political career of Robert Mugabe.

The UK foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, has made a statement to the House of Commons on the situation in Zimbabwe.

He said the government has received no reports of any of the 20,000 British nationals living in Zimbabwe being injured. All embassy staff and their families are accounted for.

We cannot tell how developments in Zimbabwe will play out in the days ahead and we do not know whether this marks the downfall of Mugabe or not, and we call for calm and restraint.

Johnson claims Britain has only ever wanted self-determination for the Zimbabwean people, while Mugabe has subverted democracy and harmed the country’s economy. “We will never forget the strong ties of history and friendship with that beautiful country; accurately described as the jewel of Africa,” he told the Commons.

The foreign secretary also called for free and fair elections to be held as scheduled next year and said the UK would work to ensure they offer Zimbabweans a “genuine opportunity ... to decide their future”.

15 Nov 201708.10 EST

Jason Burke

One high-profile opposition leader said there was “a lot of talking going on”, with the army reaching out to discuss the formation of a transitional government after Robert Mugabe steps down.

Negotiations had been continuing for several months with “certain people within the army”, a second senior opposition official said.

The official said Mugabe would resign this week and be replaced by Mnangagwa, with opposition leaders taking posts as vice-president and prime minister. There was no independent confirmation of his claim.

Zimbabwe’s fragmented opposition has not publicly condemned the military move. Nelson Chamisa, the deputy head of the opposition MDC party, called for “peace, constitutionalism, democratisation, the rule of law and the sanctity of human life”.

Tendai Biti, an opposition leader, called for a “roadmap back to legitimacy”.

“What is key is that a traditional authority is set up which is inclusive with the opposition and the ruling party … We need a dialogue too with [regional organisations], the African Union and the United Nations. We can’t solve this problem on our own,” Biti said.

The former Africa minister James Duddridge has asked Theresa May during prime minister’s questions what support the UK government could provide to Zimbabweans to help the country’s recovery. May said the situation was fluid and urged restraint on both sides. She called for the avoidance of violence and said the primary concern was for British nationals in Zimbabwe. She advised any Britons in Harare to stay at home.

The EU, which first imposed sanctions against Zimbabwe in 2002 over its human rights record, has called for a “peaceful resolution” to the crisis. A spokeswoman, Catherine Ray, said:

It is a matter of concern for the EU. We call on all the relevant players to move from confrontation to dialogue with the aim to a peaceful resolution.

We are following very closely what is happening on the ground, underlining that the fundamental rights for the citizens need to be respected and the constitutional order and democratic governance to be upheld.

The foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, says he wants to see stability in Zimbabwe.

It’s very fluid and it’s hard to say exactly how this will turn out. The most important point to make is that everybody wants to see a stable and successful Zimbabwe, and I think we are really appealing for everybody to refrain from violence.

The shadow foreign secretary, Emily Thornberry, urged the UK government to continue providing assistance to British nationals in Zimbabwe.

Amid the uncertainty of these ongoing events, three things are clear: first, a descent into violence, recrimination and reprisals from any direction must be avoided at all costs; second, the continuation of authoritarian rule does not represent a sustainable way forward for Zimbabwe, no matter which faction ends up in control; and third, it must ultimately be for the Zimbabwean people to determine their own future government through free, peaceful and democratic elections.

Serious concerns have been expressed about a Twitter account being cited by some news outlets as an official Zanu-PF channel. The BBC, one of those to quote it, has apologised and issued a correction.

A tweet remained in BBC News’ online story.

Opposition sources are saying Grace Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s first lady, is in Namibia. The claim is unconfirmed, but seems to partially match reports in other outlets.

The full statement on the situation in Zimbabwe from the South African presidency reads:

President Jacob Zuma, in his capacity as chair of SADC (the Southern African Development Community), is sending special envoys to Zimbabwe and Angola in light of the unfolding situation in the Republic of Zimbabwe.

The president is sending the minister of defence and military veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and the minister of state security, Adv Bongani Bongo, to Zimbabwe to meet Robert Mugabe and the Zimbabwean Defence Force.

President Zuma spoke to President Robert Mugabe earlier today, who indicated that he was confined to his home, but said that he was fine. South Africa is also in contact with the ZDF.

The special envoys will also be sent to the Republic of Angola to see President João Lourenço, chair of the SADC organ on politics, defence and security, to brief him on the situation.

President Zuma has reiterated his call for calm and restraint and for the ZDF to ensure that peace and stability are not undermined in Zimbabwe.

SADC will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Robert Mugabe should be removed as Zimbabwe’s president and first secretary of the ruling Zanu-PF party, the secretary-general of the country’s War Veterans Association, Victor Matemadanda, said on Wednesday.

According to the Reuters news agency, Matemadanda added that the military takeover of power was for the good of Zimbabwe.

A UK government minister will provide an update on the situation in Zimbabwe in response to an urgent question by the Labour MP, Kate Hoey, in the Commons this afternoon.

The British embassy in Harare has released a statement reiterating the Foreign Office’s updated travel advice for UK nationals in Zimbabwe.

Robert Mugabe is confined to his home, but is in good health, according to Jacob Zuma, the South African president, who said he has spoken to his Zimbabwean counterpart.

Zuma, in his capacity as chair of the Southern African Development Community, said he was sending special envoys to Zimbabwe to meet Mugabe and the Zimbabwean Defence Force, which has seized power in Harare.

15 Nov 201705.32 EST

Jason Burke

Robert Mugabe and his family remain in military detention in Zimbabwe, 12 hours after the military declared on national television that it had temporarily taken control of the country to “target criminals” around the head of state.

The move by the armed forces appears to have resolved a bitter battle to succeed the 93-year-old president, which had pitted his former vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa against his wife, Grace Mugabe, 52.

Mnangagwa was reported to have returned to Zimbabwe this morning from South Africa, where he fled after being stripped of his office by Mugabe last week in an apparent attempt to clear Grace Mugabe’s path to power.

The military takeover comes two days after the army chief, flanked by other senior officers, warned he was prepared to “step in” to end the turmoil in the ruling Zanu-PF party.

It is likely to signal the departure from power of the world’s oldest leader within days, weeks or, at most, months.

Britain must support Zimbabwe in changing from the “nasty dictatorship” of Robert Mugabe to a democracy, if that is what its people want, a former Africa minister has told Press Association.

James Duddridge said the Zimbabwean president should be given a “soft landing” outside the country to allow a “less bloody” transition. But he stressed that any interim government must only be in place for a relatively brief period.

The Conservative MP, who was responsible for Zimbabwe at the Foreign Office between 2014 and 2016, said he would try to press Theresa May on the issue at prime minister’s questions today. But he said it would be inappropriate for the UK to support a coup.

I intend to try to catch the Speaker’s eye and raise a question at prime minister’s questions to ask what economic and physical support we can give, because the civil institutions of Zimbabwe have progressively over the past 40 years been ripped apart.

And I would hope that the UK has a plan to deal with this type of scenario to flood in extra political support, diplomatic support, but also crucially economic support to allow that country to prosper.

The British government should support the Zimbabwean people to bring the whole thing to a conclusion and chart a way forward.

It is for the Zimbabwean people to chart a way forward, not her majesty’s government. But I think they are doing that, they will do that, and we will support them coming out of what has been a rather nasty dictatorship by one man to a slightly more functioning democracy, probably transitioning by a government of national unity.

The Guardian’s Africa correspondent, Jason Burke, reports that one of Zimbabwe’s best-known activists, a pastor called Evan Marawire, has spoken to followers on social media.

Marawire has been jailed and prosecuted since launching the #thisflag movement last year, which led to major protests. He neither directly condemned nor condoned the military takeover. But he said developments were “the culmination of the work that citizens have been doing”.

He called on Zimbabwean citizens to “remain calm and hopeful, alert but prayerful, to support and encourage each other and to stay away from violence and lawlessness, from rumours and lies”, as the nation has “entered unprecedented waters”.

A correspondent in the capital, Harare, said parts of the city a little out from the centre, such as the registration offices where people receive driving licenses and other forms of official ID, had the usual crowds. Roads seemed no quieter than on a usual Wednesday afternoon.