Former vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa back in Zimbabwe: Report
Military control in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe military said it had detained some "criminals" in President Robert Mugabe's government.
A senior aide in the Zimbabwe government told AFP today former vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa has returned to the country.
Emmerson Mnangagwa sacking had reportedly triggered the military coup in Zimbabwe two days ago with President Mugabe being put under virtual house arrest.
The Zimbabwe military is backing Mnangagwa as a potential successor to President Robert Mugabe.
Zimbabwe military said it had detained some "criminals" in President Robert Mugabe's government.
"Significant progress has been made in our operation," the defence forces said in a statement, adding,"We have accounted for some of the criminals while others are still at large."
Meanwhile, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, 93, refused to resign from his post on Thursday even as the military seized control of key government installation in the two-day-old military coup.
Zimbabwe state TV had flashed images of the meeting showed Mugabe dressed in a navy blue blazer and grey trousers standing alongside army chief General Constantino Chiwenga.
In Paris, the head of the African Union, Guinea's President Alpha Conde, warned on Thursday that the continent "will never accept the military coup d'etat" in Zimbabwe and called for a return to the "constitutional order".
"We demand respect for the constitution, a return to the constitutional order and we will never accept the military coup d'etat," Alpha Conde said in an interview with French journalists in Paris.
Britain, a long-time critic of Mugabe's regime called for elections scheduled for 2018 to go ahead.