JOHANNESBURG (AFP) — Senior members of Zimbabwe's security forces have travelled to South Africa to meet mediators trying to resolve the country's political crisis, a newspaper reported on Thursday.
Members of Zimbabwe's Joint Operations Command, a powerful body that includes President Robert Mugabe's top security chiefs, met with two South African government officials mediating the talks, The Star reported.
The paper, citing unnamed sources, said the meetings occurred this week, but did not say which members of the command traveled to South Africa.
Zimbabwe's military and security chiefs have been hardline backers of Mugabe. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in June claimed Zimbabwe was being run by a "military junta".
South African President Thabo Mbeki has been mediating power-sharing talks between Zimbabwe's ruling party and opposition following Mugabe's one-man June 27 election, which was widely condemned as a sham.
Mbeki spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga told AFP he was not aware of members of the joint operations command traveling to South Africa.
Zimbabwe government officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Tsvangirai boycotted the June 27 presidential run-off, citing rising violence against his supporters that had killed dozens and injured thousands.
The rival parties issued a joint statement on Wednesday calling on their supporters to halt all political violence in a sign that the power-sharing talks may have moved closer to an agreement.
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