Military calculates next move after Mugabe loses iron grip on country after 37 years

Zimbabwe is on a knife edge as negotiations continue between military commanders to find a new leader after the army put President Robert Mugabe and his family under house arrest in what could be a dramatic end to the veteran ruler’s reign. 

The army’s move began Tuesday night when dozens of tanks rolled into the outskirts of the capital, Harare, while men in uniform took command of the country’s public TV station. On Wednesday morning, Zimbabweans woke up to find military vehicles stationed in the capital’s key intersections, blocking access to many government buildings, including Mr Mugabe’s residence.

Later that morning, the military spokesman, Major General SB Moyo, made a televised appearance to reassure the public. Dressed in military fatigues and reading from a printed statement, he confirmed that Mr Mugabe, 93, was being held in his home but said the president was “safe and sound.” Major General Moyo explained that the army was targeting only “criminals around the president” with the goal of bringing them to justice. 

The army's intervention is an unprecedented challenge to a president who has been head of the government for 37 years and whatever happens in the next few days, it will likely lead to the end of his rule. The rift stemmed from the Mr Mugabe appears to be manoeuvring his  wife Grace into a position to succeed him. Ms Mugabe is supported by a faction of MPs called G40, but the move was viewed in a dim light by many, particularly after Mr Mugabe forced out his Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who had the support of the military, earlier this month. Known by locals as “The Crocodile,” Mr Mnangagwa is a respected veteran belonged to the “liberation” group that fought for independence in 1980. For decades, he was also the Zimbabwe's chief spy, acting as the intermediary between the ruling party and the nation’s military and intelligence agencies and he was Mr Mugabe's expected successor for a long time.

The 52-year-old Ms Mugabe publicly expressed her willingness to take on the job of president at the time and called Mr Mnangagwa a “snake” that “must be hit on the head.”

On Monday, Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander Constantino Chiwenga, a key ally of Mr Mnangagwa, had given Mr Mugabe an ultimatum to stop purges of officials linked to the exiled politician - before the military then rolled in, taking over the state broadcaster ZBC.

On the streets on Harare, it was mostly calm in the wake of the takeover, with the army keen to express its benign intentions, telling regional leaders its move to seize power was not a coup.

“The military have reassured us this is not a coup d'etat,” Moussa Faki Mahamat, the head of the African Union commission. "The African Union is against any unconstitutional change of government".

Businesses were open and civilians were slowly returning to the streets. There was some panic-buying of supplies like bread and sugar. The political instability is likely to worsen the country’s already frail economy. Zimbabwe is struggling to pay for imports and has been suffering from regular cash shortages. That is why citizens queued to withdraw money from Harare’s main banks. 

Source: independent