Zimbabwe’s ex-president Mugabe granted immunity as part of resignation deal: sources
Emmerson Mnangagwa, the former vice president, is set to be sworn in as president on Friday.
Zimbabwe’s former president Robert Mugabe was granted immunity from prosecution and assured that his safety would be protected in his home country as part of a deal that led to his resignation, sources close to the negotiations said on Thursday.
Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe for close to four decades but stepped down on Tuesday after the army seized power and the ruling party turned against him.
Emmerson Mnangagwa, the former vice president, is set to be sworn in as president on Friday. Mnangagwa, who has close ties to the army and the security establishment, returned to the country on Wednesday to take the reins and told crowds in Harare that they were witnessing “unfolding full democracy”.
The speech was his first since Mugabe fired him as vice president on November 6 over a succession tussle with the former first lady, a move that prompted the military’s intervention to force Mugabe from power, leading to his resignation on Tuesday.
“Today we are witnessing the beginning of a new and unfolding full democracy in our country,” he said in front of hundreds of supporters, some wearing shirts emblazoned with images of the 75-year-old leader.
“We want to grow our economy, we want jobs... all patriotic Zimbabweans (should) come together, work together,” he said.
He was surrounded by a large security detail and arrived at the headquarters of the ruling ZANU-PF party in a presidential-style motorcade.