Politics: Uncertainty in Zimbabwe: Military claims President Robert Mugabe is in custody, insists it’s not a coup

There have been reports of a heavy military presence and explosions in Harere.

• The Zimbabwe military seized power early Wednesday morning local time, but denied reports of a coup.
• Soldiers took control of the state broadcasters' headquarters and blocked access to parliament and the courts.
• The military says President Robert Mugabe is "safe and sound," which could mean he is in custody.
• Zimbabwe's ruling party played down the unrest and rumors of a coup hours earlier.

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Chaos has erupted in Zimbabwe where the military has seized power.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, amid reports reports of multiple explosions, soldiers entered the capital city of Harare and, according to Reuters, took control of the headquarters of state broadcaster ZBC.

In a broadcast statement, Major General SB Moyo said that the military's actions were targeted at the "criminals around" President Robert Mugabe, and that this was "not a military takeover."

Mugabe's safety was also said to be "guaranteed," a description that did not clarify whether the 93-year-old leader is in custody. But since the action began, Mugabe has not been seen or heard from.

Agence France-Presse cited an unconfirmed report from a resident who said shots were heard near Mugabe's residence.

As daylight broke, a witness told Reuters that soldiers and armored vehicles were cutting off road access to government offices, parliament and courts in central Harare. The news agency also reported that the country's finance minister has been detained by the military.

Moyo addressed Zimbabwe via the state broadcaster ZBC.

"We wish to assure the nation that his excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and commander-in-chief of Zimbabwe defence forces comrade R. G. Mugabe and his family are safe and sound and their security is guaranteed. We are only targeting criminals around him who are committing crimes that are causing social and economic suffering in the country, in order to bring them to justice.

"As soon as we have accomplished our mission, we expect that the situation will return to normalcy."

Moyo told personnel in the Zimbabwe defence forces to return to their barracks and that "all leave is cancelled." He also called on veterans and security forces to cooperate, saying that "any provocation will be met with an appropriate response."

"To both our people and the world beyond our borders, we wish to make it abundantly clear that this is not a military takeover of government. What this mobile defence force is doing is to pacify a degenerating political, social and economic situation in our country which if not addressed, may result in a violent conflict."

Mugabe had earlier accused the head of the military of treason, which led to speculation of a potential coup, Reuters reported.

Before soldiers entered ZBC, the Associated Press reported seeing armed soldiers assaulting civilians and loading ammunition into military vehicles. At least three explosions were heard near the University of Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe's ruling party downplayed talk of unrest hours earlier. Isaac Moyo, Zimbabwe's ambassador to neighboring South Africa, earlier dismissed talk of a coup, saying the government was "intact" and blaming social media for spreading false information, Reuters said.

The US Embassy in Zimbabwe has advised all US citizens in Zimbabwe to shelter in place until further notice due to the country's "political uncertainty."

The US embassy and the EU embassy announced they will be closed on November 15.

The United Kingdom's embassy in Harare issued a similar warning, telling British nationals in the city to "stay safely at home/indoors until the situation becomes clearer."

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There have been reports of a heavy military presence and explosions in Harere. Read Full Story