Mugabe welcomed home by thousands

by Sanjay Jha | July 4, 2008 at 02:52 am

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Despite the criticsm about his re-election President Mugabe has received a thunderous & rousing welcome after his return from African summit.

Thousands of Zimbabweans have greeted President Robert Mugabe on his return from the African Union summit where he defended his controversial re-election.
The supporters were ferried in buses to Harare airport, where they danced and sang election campaign anthems.
Meanwhile, military police have been seen forcibly closing down ruling party bases in townships used to intimidate people ahead of last week's election.
The opposition has said violence must end before talks on sharing power.
The African leaders called for a unity government after Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out of last Friday's presidential run-off, citing state-sponsored political violence.
Zimbabwean journalist Brian Hungwe said ruling party Zanu-PF youths mobilised people in the townships around the capital, Harare, to go to the airport to welcome Mr Mugabe home.
He also says it has come as a shock to many township residents to see the security forces turning against Zanu-PF supporters, beating them up and telling them to shut their bases.
It is thought that now that the elections are over, the party wants to get rid of the unpopular bases and disband the militia, he reports.
Since last Friday's run-off, the MDC says nine of its supporters have been murdered, hundreds more beaten and forced to leave their homes.
Almost 100 people have been killed and 200,000 left homeless since the MDC won the March vote, the opposition says.