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Harare: African states must intervene in Zimbabwe to prevent widespread bloodshed, the opposition said yesterday, accusing President Robert Mugabe of trying to provoke violence as a pretext for a state of emergency.
"I say to my brothers and sisters across the continent - don't wait for dead bodies in the streets of Harare. There is a constitutional and legal crisis in Zimbabwe," Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Secretary-General Tendai Biti told a news conference.
He said the ruling ZANU-PF had launched a violent campaign against opposition supporters following a stalemate over the March 29 presidential vote that MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai asserts he won.
"There's been massive violence inside our country since the 29th of March 2008, MDC people are being beaten up, farms with remaining pockets of white people are being invaded, farms with known MDC supporters are being invaded. Militias are being rearmed, ZANU-PF supporters are being rearmed, the long and short of it is that there has been a complete militarisation of Zimbabwean society since the 29th of March," he said.
The MDC says Mugabe is delaying the presidential election result to give him more time to prepare for a runoff against Tsvangirai, and has asked the High Court to force release of the outcome.
The court ruled yesterday it would treat the opposition's application as urgent and began hearing arguments in the case. Legal proceedings are already in their fourth day and could drag further, delaying the end of a 10-day stalemate that has dashed hopes of a quick answer to the crisis.
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