Zimbabwe 'acting president' Twitter account suspended

A newly created Twitter account that claimed to be Zimbabwe's recently sacked vice president - and its incoming leader - has been suspended.

The account @presmnangagwa claimed to represent Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose firing as vice president last week led the military to move in and put President Robert Mugabe under house arrest.

The Twitter account issued a stream of "updates" on the crisis but was quickly questioned by sceptical Zimbabweans, who are no strangers to rumour and speculation.

Links to the account on Thursday night lead to a page saying "account suspended". There was no specific explanation for the move, though Twitter says common reasons include spam or abusive behavior.

seen as essential to giving Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe a dignified exit from power after the military stepped in this week.