Three people were killed in protests in Zimbabwe on Wednesday after the army opened fire in central Harare during demonstrations over alleged fraud in the country's elections.

“The Zimbabwe Republic Police would like to confirm the unfortunate deaths of three people during the riots and melee which occurred in Harare Central business district,” police spokeswoman Charity Charamba told state television.

The MDC opposition party condemned the army for opening fire on protesters "for no apparent reason".

“We saw the deployment of military tanks and the firing of live ammunition for no apparent reason. We condemn in the strongest sense the action taken today,” MDC spokesman Nkululeko Sibanda told reporters.