HARARE, Zimbabwe — Riot police and intelligence officers ransacked opposition party headquarters and the offices of independent election monitors Friday, hauling away material documenting President Robert Mugabe’s apparent electoral defeat.
Hundreds of people were arrested in the raids, which sent a strong message that Zimbabwe’s longtime leader intends to hold onto power despite a growing global clamor for him to step aside.
Assistant Police Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena said those arrested were suspected of “crimes committed in the countryside.”
The operation came a day after a U.S. envoy declared opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai the victor and called on Mugabe to step down.
The raids appeared aimed at collecting any information showing that Mugabe and his ruling Zimbabwe African National Union lost the election.
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