Mugabe resists military pressure to give up power

President Robert Mugabe is insisting on remaining Zimbabwe's only legal ruler, an intelligence source said Thursday.

He is also contesting the mediation of a Catholic priest to allow the former August 93 former governor to give up gloriously from his post after the military post.

The priest, Fidelis Mukonori, acts as a mediator between Mugabe and the generals who took power Wednesday in an operation targeting the Chriminels” who were part of the Mugabe district, a senior political source told Reuters.

The source has not provided details of the negotiations, which seem to target a quiet and bloodless transition after the departure of Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since independence in 1980.

Mugabe, who is still seen by many Africans as a hero, in the West is described as a tyrant, who has dealt catastrophicly with the economy, a man who has used violence, and to retain power destroyed one of Africa's most promising states.

Intelligence reports, which Reuters has seen reported that former security chief Emmerson Mnagagaa, who was brought down as deputy chairman this month, has drafted a post-Mugabe vision with the military and opposition for more than a year.