津巴布韋各地示威遊行要求穆加貝下臺
Thousands of exuberant demonstrators are walking through Harare's streets Saturday demanding that President Robert Mugabe step down from office. Signs they are carrying say "Mugabe must go!" and "Not coup but cool."
The military that has stopped such demonstrations in the capital in the past is now supporting the protests, directing demonstrators to the Zimbabwe Grounds where speeches will be made by a number of activists, politicians, and former freedom fighters calling for the president to resign.
The Zimbabwe Grounds is a symbolic location. It is where Zimbabweans welcomed Mugabe back from exile in 1980 after the liberation war from white minority rule.
Demonstrations are being held in other cities around the country also calling for an end to Mugabe's rule.
Mugabe, 93, is reported to be resisting demands from the army, members of his own ZANU-PF party, and political activists to step down after 37 years in power.
The Zimbabwe Defense Forces seized key state institutions Wednesday, confined Mugabe to house arrest and clamped down on those they termed thieves surrounding the president, including Professor Jonathan Moyo, Home Affairs Minister Ignatius Chombo, Local Government Minister Saviour Kasukuwere, ZANU-PF Youth League secretary Kudzanayi Chipanga and several others.
The detainees, who are in army barracks, are said to be members of a faction of the ruling party that were seeking to elevate first lady Grace Mugabe to the post of vice president. President Mugabe fired his longtime ally, Emmerson Mnangagwa, from the position on November 5th.
Mugabe made a public appearance Friday, his first since the military took over state institutions and opened talks aimed at getting the aged leader to resign.
Mugabe, wearing a blue and yellow academic gown, presided over a university graduation ceremony for more than 1,000 students in Harare. The president appeared to fall asleep at times and said nothing about the ongoing political uncertainty.成千上萬羣情激昂的示威者週六走上津巴布韋首都哈拉雷的街頭，要求總統穆加貝辭職。他們手持的標語寫着：“穆加貝必須下臺！”以及“不是政變，而是真棒”。
過去在哈拉雷制止此類示威遊行的軍隊如今卻在支持抗議活動，引導示威者前往“津巴布韋場”，一些活動人士、政界人士以及前自由戰士將在那裏發表演講，要求穆加貝辭職。
“津巴布韋場”是個具有象徵意義的地方。1980年，在爲擺脫白人少數羣體統治而進行的解放戰爭之後，津巴布韋人民就是在這個地方歡迎流亡在外的穆加貝歸來。
在津巴布韋其它城市進行的示威活動也要求結束穆加貝的統治。
在掌權37年後，現年93歲的穆加貝據報在抗拒軍方、他自己所在的政黨“非洲民族聯盟-愛國陣線（ZANU-PF）”的成員以及政治活動人士提出的要他辭職的要求。
津巴布韋國防軍週三控制了關鍵的國家機關，將穆加貝軟禁在家中，並且對那些他們稱之爲總統周圍的盜賊的人進行壓制，包括喬納森·梅約教授、內政部長伊格內修斯·瓊博、地方政府部長薩維爾·卡蘇庫維爾以及非洲民族聯盟-愛國陣線青年聯盟祕書長庫扎納伊·奇龐加等人。
這些人被關押在軍營裏，據說他們是執政黨內一個試圖支持第一夫人格蕾絲·穆加貝成爲副總統的派別的成員。總統穆加貝11月5日將其長期盟友、前副總統姆南加古瓦免職。
自軍方接管國家機關並且開始旨在讓穆加貝辭職的對話後，穆加貝於週五首次公開露面。
穆加貝當時身着藍色和黃色的學術禮袍，主持哈拉雷一所大學1000多名學生的畢業典禮。穆加貝在儀式上幾次打瞌睡，對當前充滿不確定性的政局閉口不談。
