Big Zimbabwean march for Mugabe

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Thousands of supporters of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe have staged a huge march in the capital, Harare.

They were backing Mr Mugabe's bid for re-election next year.

It was advertised as "a million man march". Harare residents say it was the biggest public demonstration in the capital for several years.

One of the organisers, liberation war veteran leader Jabulani Sibanda, said the march was meant to show the world that Zimbabweans were united.

BBC southern Africa correspondent Peter Biles says many of those marching are thought to have been bussed into Harare from outlying areas.

After making their way through the city centre, the crowd moved on to the suburb of Highfield - a place of huge symbolic importance as it was the venue for Mr Mugabe's first speech in Zimbabwe when he returned home after the liberation war in 1980.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change has been engaged in talks with the governing Zanu-PF party for some months now.

But our correspondent says the political stalemate in the country has yet to be broken.