Zimbabwe, Apr 8: Militant supporters of President Robert Mugabe have targeted whites, forcing about a dozen ranchers and farmers off their land as Zimbabwe's longtime ruler fanned racial tensions amid fears he will turn to violence to hold on to power.

Mugabe's opponents pressed a lawsuit seeking to compel the publication of results of the March 29 presidential election that they say Morgan Tsvangirai won.

The opposition leader urged the international community to persuade Mugabe to step down.

``Major powers here, such as South Africa, the U.S. and Britain, must act to remove the white-knuckle grip of Mugabe's suicidal reign and oblige him and his minions to retire,'' Tsvangirai wrote in Monday's edition of Britain's Guardian newspaper. ``How can global leaders espouse the values of democracy, yet when they are being challenged fail to open their mouths?'' he asked. Tsvangirai was in South Africa meeting with ``important people'' on Monday, said Tendai Biti, secretary-general of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.