HARARE: Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who has pulled out of a presidential election because of attacks on his supporters, has taken refuge in the Dutch Embassy, Dutch officials said yesterday. There was no immediate confirmation from Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change. The Dutch Foreign Ministry said Tsvangirai had not requested asylum but had spent the night in the embassy and was welcome to stay for his own security.
Earlier the MDC said police raided its Harare headquarters and took away more than 60 victims of the violence, in which it says nearly 90 of its supporters have been killed by militias backing President Robert Mugabe. Those detained included women and children.
Tsvangirai, who pulled out of the June 27 vote on Sunday saying his supporters would risk their lives if they voted, said yesterday he was ready to negotiate with Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party, but only if the violence stopped.
