Zimbabwean army generals will pile further pressure on President Robert Mugabe to resign after tens of thousands of overjoyed protesters celebrated the apparent end of his 37-year regime.
Photo from Twitter
Mugabe's hold on power was broken this week when the military took over in a dispute over who would succeed the 93-year-old president, the world's oldest head of state.
Mugabe remains in office but faces overwhelming opposition from the generals, much of the Zimbabwean public and from within ZANU-PF, the once loyal party now calling for his exit.
"President Robert Mugabe will meet the command element of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces tomorrow (Sunday)," state television announced on Saturday.
The two sides first met for talks on Thursday.
Huge crowds marched and sang their way through Harare and other cities on Saturday, demanding the end of Mugabe's authoritarian rule.
The marches came after a historic week in which the military seized power and put Mugabe under house arrest in response to his sacking of vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa, a perceived rival of Mugabe's powerful 52-year-old wife Grace who had increasingly voiced her ambition to succeed her spouse.
Saturday's gatherings were peaceful, despite a stand-off when armed soldiers barred protesters from reaching Mugabe's official residence.
The demonstrations were called by independence war veterans and included citizens of all ages, jubilant that Mugabe appeared to be on his way out.
Sources suggest Mugabe has been battling to negotiate a delay to his exit and to ensure future protection for him and his family.
He attended a graduation ceremony on Friday, in a show of defiance over the talks with General Constantino Chiwenga, who led the military power grab.
Nine of the 10 regional branches of Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF have now called for him to go.
A ZANU-PF MP, and a national party official, who both declined to be named, confirmed that the party's executive committee would meet Sunday to seek to have Mugabe removed as party leader.
