Zimbabweans seek refuge at US embassy

Published at 3:10pm on 4 July 2008 More than 200 people have gathered outside the United States embassy in Zimbabwe seeking refuge or assistance. Many of them were carrying small bundles of possessions and say they were displaced in electoral violence. "We are working with international organisations and local partners to look for safe places to take them," an embassy spokesman says. On Wednesday, Zimbabwe's opposition leader rejected talks on a government of unity, saying the violence must end. Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out of last Friday's presidential run-off, which President Robert Mugabe won unopposed, citing state-sponsored political violence. Zimbabwean journalist Brian Hungwe says those gathered outside the embassy in the capital, Harare, say they have nowhere else to go. He says... [read full story]