Archbishop Ncube wants invasion

Pius Ncube, the Archbishop of Bulawayo, warned that millions were facing death from famine, unable to survive amid inflation believed to have soared to 15,000 per cent.

Mr Mugabe, 83, had proved intransigent despite the "massive risk to life", said Archbishop Ncube, the head of Zimbabwe's one million Catholics.

"I think it is justified for Britain to raid Zimbabwe and remove Mugabe,' he said.

"We should do it ourselves but there's too much fear. I'm ready to lead the people, guns blazing, but the people are not ready."

In some parts of Zimbabwe 95 per cent of crops have failed, leaving families with only two or three weeks' food supply to last ayear.

Prices are more than doubling every week and US ambassador Christopher Dell has predicted inflation could hit 1.5 million per cent by the end of the year.

Archbishop Ncube said that far from helping those struggling, Mr Mugabe had just spent $2.4 million on surveillance equipment to monitor phone calls and emails.

"How can you expect people to rise up when even our church services are attended by state intelligence people?" he said.

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