Zimbabwe's military has placed President Robert Mugabe under house arrest in the capital Harare.

Image source, Reuters

Some Zimbabweans have been WhatsApping BBC Focus on Africa with their views on the military takeover.

A law student called Alexa said:

One man, who did not say where in Zimbabwe he was messaging from, said:

Image source, Getty Images

UN chief Antonio Guterres has appealed for calm and restraint in Zimbabwe.

His spokesman, Farhan Haq, said the UN secretary-general was monitoring "the evolving situation", adding:

According to the AFP news agency, Mr Guterres also noted that the regional bloc, Sadc, was making efforts to end the crisis.

Earlier, South Africa's President Jacob Zuma said that he was sending an envoy to Zimbabwe on behalf of Sadc to speak to both sides.

Image source, AFP

• Known as "the crocodile" because this is the totem of his clan
• His supporters are known as "Lacoste"
• Received military training in China and Egypt
• Tortured by Rhodesian forces after his "crocodile gang" staged attacks
• Helped direct Zimbabwe's 1970s war of independence
• Became the country's spymaster during the 1980s civil conflict, in which thousands of civilians were killed
• Seen as key link between army, intelligence agencies and Zanu-PF party
• Accused of masterminding attacks on opposition supporters after 2008 election.

Read more:The 'crocodile' who snapped back

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Military leader Gen Constantino Chiwenga’s trip to Beijing last week was described by the Chinese authorities as a "normal military exchange" – but that hasn’t stopped speculation about what might have been said.

Stephen Chan, a professor at the London School of Oriental and African Studies (Soas), told BBC World it was likely China had been appraised of recent developments:

He said the removal of President Robert Mugabe would likely benefit Beijing, Zimbabwe’s biggest trading partner, which wants to see a stable succession with the support of the military.

Zimbabwe’s arm of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) has been tweeting advice to journalists in a country that often takes a hostile line to freedom of the press.

Lerato Mbele
BBC African Business Report

Image source, Reuters

“A political earthquake and its economic aftershocks” - that would be a fitting title for the current events unfolding in Zimbabwe.

The country has gone from one economic crisis to another over the last decade as it has struggled to recover from hyperinflation.

This year alone, unemployment is reportedly at 94% and the banks are constantly running out of hard currency. The country mainly uses US dollars and the South African rand after it abandoned its own currency in 2009.

It is against this backdrop that internet savvy Zimbabweans have started to explore the possibility of using the crypto-currency Bitcoin.

Following the news of a military takeover in Harare, the value of each Bitcoin being traded in Zimbabwe has gone up to nearly $14,000 (£10,600).

This is double its average global price at the moment.

It is a bonanza for the individual Zimbabweans who have bought of the currency online.

Those who have been brave enough to explore the uses of Bitcoin say it gives them access to a currency that is beyond the control of the Central Bank of Zimbabwe.

Bitcoin has also helped locals find an alternative to local banks, where customers are limited to how much they can take out each day. People also have little confidence in recently introduced local bond notes, which are pegged to US dollar.

Finally it is a platform for seamless transfers of money between Zimbabweans in the country and their relatives abroad.

Although most people still do not understand how Bitcoin works, the situation unfolding in Zimbabwe could be a catalyst for more widespread use of the virtual currency.

It could also motivate more widespread use of cyberspace transactions in nations across the continent.

After all, modern-day Africa is said to have leapfrogged several generations of the tech-revolution and even pioneered mobile-money transfers.

Image source, EPA

The military's actions overnight may have come out the blue for some people, but Zimbabweans have been watching this drama unfold for a long time.

At its heart is a fight over who will succeed President Robert Mugabe - a battle which has been brewing in the ruling Zanu-PF party for a number of years.

On one side is his wife Grace Mugabe, who has the support of the youth league and the so-called Gen 40s, parliament's younger MPs.

On the other side are the politicians, who, like Mr Mugabe, were part of the liberation struggle.

Mrs Mugabe's rise to power really started to escalate in 2014, with the ousting of her husband's deputy, and independence veteran, Joice Mujuru.

At the same time, she appeared to reveal her presidential ambitions - and people began to whisper about the Mugabe dynasty forming.

But it was not until she was linked to the removal of a second vice-president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, that she apparently overstepped the mark.

Mr Mnangagwa has powerful allies in the army and after he fled to South Africa, they decided to act.

You can read more about the key players in this crisis here, and about Mrs Mugabe's rise to power here.

You can also read a bit more analysis on why this was the last straw here.

Prize-winning Zimbabwean author Petina Gappah, who is also a human rights lawyer, has told the BBC’s Newshour programme that her reaction to today’s events have been a mix of euphoria and trepidation:

She said First Lady Grace Mugabe was “uniquely unqualified to be the president of anything” and many Zimbabweans had wanted a more democratic transition.

She said that any Zimbabwean under the age of 37 had only known President Mugabe’s rule and ironically it has been younger party members that have been supporting him.

Ms Gappah said it was too early to say if life would improve for ordinary people:

Image source, Reuters

Alpha Conde, who is also president of Guinea, has said the military takeover is "clearly soldiers trying to take power by force".

The African Union (AU) head called on the military to stop what they were doing - which he said "seems like a coup", according to news agency AFP.

This contradicts the Zimbabwean military's stance, which is that the events of the last 24 hours are not a coup.

Why are they so keen to avoid the term? The BBC's Kim Chakanetsa discusses it here.

There are also a few handy tips on recognising a coup in this article.

Zimbabwe's state-controlled Chronicle newspaper, which is based in the second city Bulawayo, has just published a special edition about the military crisis.

It goes with the headline "Army Steps In", saying the military has moved in to "weed out Zanu-PF criminal elements".

It has tweeted its front page:

Speaking to British ministers in the House of Commons earlier, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson addressed events in Zimbabwe:

Fellow Conservative party MP Rehamn Chishti called for Zimbabwe to be readmitted to the Commonwealth if it pursues democracy.

"Wouldn't it be wonderful?" replied Mr Johnson.

A Twitter account which monitors the media in Zimbabwe says some shops in the capital, Harare, closed early this afternoon.

BBC World Service

Is Zimbabwe's former vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa, nicknamed the "crocodile", behind the military takeover?

Local journalist Jeffrey Moyo gives the BBC World Service his perspective:

Read this BBC profile of Emmerson Mnangagwa: Zimbabwe's 'crocodile'

Image source, AFP

UK-based human rights group Amnesty International has appealed to the military following events overnight.

Deprose Muchena, Amnesty's regional director for southern Africa, said:

Image source, Reuters

Namibia's private daily newspaper says the Namibian government has not commented on rumours that Zimbabwe's First Lady Grace Mugabe has arrived in the country:

But a Zimbabwean newspaper owner says Mrs Mugabe, 52, is still in the capital, Harare:

Moses Rono
BBC Monitoring

Image source, ZBC

Zimbabwe state television has resumed normal programming after playing patriotic liberation war songs for hours.

From just after midday local time (10:00 GMT) ZBC turned to its regular schedule, which included a drama programme, cartoons and the lunchtime news.

The first scheduled programme to air was Zimbabwe Awakens, a business slot in which guests spoke on economic issues.

The lead story on the main news bulletin was about the army taking power.

On state radio, which had been relaying the TV feed - local music is now airing.

Image source, EPA

Zimbabwe's president has made some controversial and unpopular decisions over the past 37 years, so what was it about the removal of Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa which pushed the military to act?

Tomi Oladipo, the BBC Monitoring Africa security correspondent, has been considering just this point:

You can read his full analysis about what tipped the balance in Zimbabwe by clicking here.

A Zimbabwean lawyer has been speaking to Al Jazeera about the ongoing political crisis.

Alex Magaisa, who is also a former adviser to Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, says that President Robert Mugabe has been a beneficiary of the military involvement in politics, especially since 2002.

He says that Mr Mugabe was now "being eaten by a monster that he created":

BBC World Service

BBC Africa's Kim Chakanetsa outlines the situation that has led to today's events to BBC Minute.