Zimbabwe army ready ‘to step in’ to end rift in ruling party

Constantino Chiwenga

HARARE, Nov 14 (Al Jazeera): Zimbabwe's army chief has called for an immediate end to purges within President Robert Mugabe's ruling party following the dismissal last week of the country's vice president.

In a rare statement, General Constantino Chiwenga warned on Monday that the military could intervene if the infighting in the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) did not stop.

"The current purging which is clearly targeting members of the party with a liberation background must stop forthwith," Chiwenga told a media conference in the capital, Harare.

"We must remind those behind the current treacherous shenanigans that when it comes to matters of protecting our revolution, the military will not hesitate to step in," he said, adding that the instability was causing anxiety in the country.