Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe delivered an address to the nation on Sunday night but refused to resign, saying instead that they can not be guided by bitterness and vowing to preside over next month’s congress of the ruling ZANU-PF party.
The president said in his statement that the military operation on Tuesday, when soldiers were deployed to the capital Harare, did not amount a threat to Zimbabwe’s constitutional order. Instead, he said, the soldiers were motivated by ‘patriotic concern’ for their people.
“I as president of Zimbabwe do acknowledge the issues they have drawn my attention to,” Mugabe said.
Mugabe was widely expected to resign and, according to reports, presidential guards had already been deployed at the residence of Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Mugabe was fired as ZANU-PF leader earlier on Sunday, after which Mnangagwa was chosen to succeed him.
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