Zimbabwe's opposition leader has accused the government of Robert Mugabe of abducting, torturing and killing hundreds of opposition activists.

 

Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), said in Harare on Thursday that 600 political activists had been abducted and tortured this year.

But he said he would negotiate with the ruling party and was confident the crisis that erupted after the government's violent crackdown on the opposition last month could be sorted out in direct talks.

"This crisis is going to be resolved through negotiation and [the ruling] ZANU-PF and MDC will sit down and negotiate," he said.

 

On Thursday Tsvangirai accused state security agents of being part of "hit squads" that abducted and tortured 600 activists in the past three months.

 

He said 150 MDC activists and leaders had suffered life-threatening injuries since February 16.

 

 

"This programme, which is directed, sanctioned and supervised by Robert Mugabe himself, is being carried out by mixed hit squads, comprising the police, CIO [Central Intelligence Organisation] and militias," Tsvangirai said.

 

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Government officials were not immediately available for comment.

 

Mugabe's government says the MDC has launched a violent campaign, including petrol bombing police stations and attacking ruling party officials, to topple the 83-year-old ruler.

 

Tsvangirai rejected those charges on Thursday.

 

Tsvangirai was among dozens of anti-Mugabe activists who were arrested at an aborted March 11 prayer rally in Harare.

 

Reports that the MDC leader and his colleagues had been savagely beaten prompted sharp international protests.

 

The MDC has repeatedly said that security agents and police harass, beat and murder its members.