Mugabe under house arrest  as military takes control

This article is more than 12 months old

Nov 16, 2017 06:00 am

HARARE Zimbabwe's military seized control of the country yesterday as President Robert Mugabe said he was under house arrest, although generals denied staging a coup.

Mr Mugabe's decades-long grip on power appeared to be fading as military vehicles blocked roads outside the Parliament in Harare, and senior soldiers delivered a late-night television address to the nation.

"The President... and his family are safe and sound, and their security is guaranteed," Major-General Sibusiso Moyo said, slowly reading out a statement.

"We are only targeting criminals around him who are committing crimes...

"As soon as we have accomplished our mission, we expect that the situation will return to normalcy. This is not a military takeover of government."

- AFP