TIMELINE: Zimbabwe opposition disengages from unity government

(Reuters) - Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) would disengage from President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party in the country's unity cabinet set up in February.

Here is a timeline of events since the two main players signed a power sharing deal in September 2008.

September 15, 2008 - Mugabe and Tsvangirai sign a power-sharing agreement to try to end the crisis but implementation stalls over who gets top ministerial posts.

January 27, 2009 - Regional leaders say they reached breakthrough in negotiations on implementing the deal but the opposition says it is disappointed with results of the meeting.

January 30 - Opposition agrees at meeting in Harare to join the unity government.

February 5 - Parliament passes a constitutional bill paving the way for a coalition government.

February 11 - Tsvangirai is sworn in as prime minister.

March 4 - Tsvangirai calls for an end to international sanctions in his maiden speech to parliament, as part of his bid to start rebuilding the shattered economy.

March 6 - Tsvangirai is injured in a car accident that killed his wife. He is flown to Botswana for treatment.

May 1 - Tsvangirai announces at a May Day rally that the unity government is broke and cannot meet union demands for higher wages.

June 24 - Tsvangirai winds up a three-week tour to the U.S. and Europe which yielded scant funds and put him under pressure to persuade Mugabe to agree to reform to secure foreign aid.

June 25 - Mugabe attacks Western countries for refusing to lift sanctions because he was still in power, but says his country will get aid from those who will not impose conditions.

July 14 - Zimbabwe resumes a convention to draw up a new constitution after it was halted the day before, following clashes between rival political parties that exposed tensions within the new unity government.

September 4 - The IMF says it has transferred around $400 million in IMF special drawing rights to Zimbabwe as part of G20 agreement to help member states.

September 12 - Mugabe welcomes the first top-level EU delegation to visit Zimbabwe in seven years with "open arms" and say talks on implementing a power-sharing deal went well.

October 1 - Zimbabwe's economy is projected to grow by 3.7 percent this year, according to the IMF, the first expansion since 1997.

October 14 - A court detains Roy Bennett, a senior MDC official, and rules that he should stand trial on terrorism charges.

October 15 - Britain says it is providing $100 million in aid to Zimbabwe in 2009, its largest ever donation to the country, to help the unity government.

October 16 - Tsvangirai announces the MDC will disengage from "dishonest and unreliable" ZANU-PF.