Latest News on Ethiopia and Zimbabwe

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Ethiopia

A peace agreement has been negotiated in which Ethiopia has to withdraw to positions it occupied before the start of the war two years ago. Eritrea has to withdraw so as to leave a 25 km buffer zone between its troops and the Ethiopians. This buffer zone will be filled by the United Nations peacekeepers.

Zimbabwe

In the elections the country split down the middle. The towns and cities voted overwhelmingly for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). In some constituencies they polled 85% of the popular vote. Half the voters braved intimidation to vote for change. It was the biggest turnout in any election since 1980.

But in the countryside, where the government backed campaign of intimidation had had greatest effect, the ruling party, Zanu PF, won a clear majority of the votes of the rural poor.

It is a turning point for the man who led the struggle for independence through the bitter bush war of the 1960s and 1970s. The opposition, who won almost half the seats being contested, said the election result marked the beginning of the end for Robert Mugabe.

Throughout the campaign the opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has urged Mr Mugabe to seek a dignified exit from public life.

Mr Tsvangirai has appealed to his supporters to show restraint and patience, emphasising that change will be gradual. But he cannot contain the intense public anger felt in many urban areas indefinitely. Mr Mugabe's party has presided over a catastrophic collapse in the economy. Unemployment is at 55%. Inflation is even higher. Industry is shrinking under the impact of crippling interest rates.