Zimbabwe capital 'shut down'

Stand-off between protestors and police set to continue

Opposition parties in Zimbabwe say they will continue strikes and anti-government protests despite police and army action on Monday against street demonstrations.

In several places across the country riot police used teargas, and soldiers in armoured cars fired guns to break up the demonstrations against President Robert Mugabe's government.

Most of the capital, Harare, was reported calm on Tuesday, but with virtually all businesses shut. There remains a heavy security presence on the streets.

In the second city, Bulawayo, about 200 people tried to march in the city centre but they were soon dispersed by riot police, says the BBC's Themba Nkosi in the city.

In Harare's low-income suburbs long queues of people waited for transport to work places.

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Only a few, mainly state-run buses were operating.

The government has warned business owners who fail to open that they risk losing their operating licences.

The BBC's Barnaby Phillips says it is unclear just how many Zimbabweans have the stomach to take on the well-organised security forces, in a week of protests described as critical for the immediate political future of President Mugabe.

Undeterred

The High Court in Harare is considering a government application to tighten bail conditions for the MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, and two other high-ranking officials of the opposition party, all on trial for treason.

Profile: Morgan Tsvangirai

Protests in pictures

The group's secretary-general, Welshman Ncube, said violence against protesters would not deter them.

"What is left is for the people to press on for the next four days with the complete stay-away from work and massive demonstrations," he said.

At least 154 people, most of them opposition activists or officials, were arrested across the country on Monday, police said.

The BBC's Themba Nkosi in Bulawayo says some residents accuse MDC leaders of being cowards for not being prepared to face the riot police and lead the anti-government marches.

Some MDC MPs have fled to their rural homes, he says.

Interference

A government spokesman, Jerome McDonald Gumbo, accused the MDC of intimidating people who wanted to go about their daily routine as normal, and said the government had a responsibility to maintain law and order.

"A lot of people are suffering because they cannot conduct their day-to-day business. You can't even conduct a funeral, you can't even send your children to school," he told the BBC's Network Africa.

ZIMBABWE CRISIS

Eight million need food aid

Shortages of petrol, bread, sugar

Inflation over 200%

Opposition complains of persecution

They reject last year's elections

Critical week of protests

A tattered economy

He also attacked what he said was outside interference in Zimbabwe's affairs by countries like Britain and the US.

"The outside world must leave Zimbabwe to make its own decisions. They must not interfere and incite our people to fight each other.

"In the end it is Zimbabweans who suffer," said Mr Gumbo.

Leaders of the main industrialised nations, the G8, at their meeting France expressed concern over developments in Zimbabwe.

"We are concerned about reports of further violence by the authorities in Zimbabwe against their own people," their communiqué said.

"We called on the government of Zimbabwe to respect the right to peaceful demonstration."