Malawi leader refuses to step down as 18 die in protests

BLANTYRE - MALAWI President Bingu wa Mutharika refused on Thursday to step down after two days of riots left 18 dead, with soldiers deployed in the two main cities to quell protests that turned into looting.
The violence triggered international condemnation ranging from UN chief Ban Ki Moon, the United States and popstar Madonna, while Amnesty International accused security forces of shooting dead at least eight people.
Soldiers were deployed in townships around the capital Lilongwe and the commercial hub Blantyre, dispersing some 2,000 protesters who had taken to the streets accusing Mutharika of mismanaging the economy and trampling on democratic rights.
The 77-year-old president, who won a second term in office in May 2009, issued a defiant message.
'I will continue to govern the country,' Mutharika said on national radio. 'As mandated by the constitution, the authority to run government is in my hands and not any other person.'
'I am ready to meet the opposition and civil society,' he said, but then added the protests were 'not led by God, but by Satan who will be defeated'. -- AFP