After refusing to resign on Monday, embattled President Robert Mugabe has begun talks with his arch-rival, former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa, the military says, according to dpa. "The Zimbabwe defence and security services are encouraged by the new developments which, include contact between the president and ... Mnangagwa, who is expected in the country shortly," defence force chief Constantino Chiwengathe told journalists in the capital, Harare. "Meetings with the president ... have gone on in an atmosphere of mutual respect and several guarantees have been made," said Chiwenga. "We have made further consultations with the president to agree on a roadmap on the prevailing situation in the country," he added. Mugabe fired Mnangagwa, once one of his closest allies, earlier this month for disloyalty. Mnangagwa fled to neighbouring South Africa, while his dismissal prompted the military to peacefully take control in Zimbabwe.
