Two days later, it was clear that it might not be so easy.
On Thursday, Mugabe, 93 Cheap Nike Free TR 5.0 Flyknit Womens Black White , entered into talks with the military commanders who placed him under house arrest and with
officials from neighboring South Africa. His motorcade streaked through the city
without any army escort, indicating that he had at least some freedom of
movement. In a photo from Thursday’s talks released by the government newspaper,
he was smiling with his arm around the army commander responsible for the
military takeover, appearing untroubled.
For the 37 years he has ruled Zimbabwe — from independence to the verge of economic collapse — Mugabe has outwitted his opponents at every turn, using
intimidation Cheap Mens Nike Free Run 4.0 Flyknit Multi Black , electoral manipulation and purges of his own party. Now Zimbabweans are wondering: Will he find a way
to survive a coup?
By Thursday night, there were hints that Mugabe had at least bought himself some time. In meetings with a high-profile Zimbabwean Catholic priest and with
military commanders, Mugabe resisted requests to step down, according to
interviews with officials and media reports.
[Grace Mugabe’s power grab ended up backfiring]
Many people would be happy to see him leave office. Mugabe has become deeply unpopular at home because of his repressive tactics and the country’s steep
economic decline during his rule. Abroad, he has been criticized for his
authoritarian rule and his seizure of farms owned by the white minority. He has
regularly denounced the West for many of his nation’s ills.
And yet the military’s role in detaining Mugabe has become a flash point for a region that has attempted to enshrine democratic values in its charter.
Zimbabwean military leaders were aware of the sensitivities; after troops detained Mugabe and took over the state television station Mens Nike Free Run 4.0 Flyknit Blue Sale , a top general said early Wednesday that it was “not a military takeover.” The military leaders were
prompted to act after former vice president and onetime defense minister
Emmerson Mnangagwa was fired this month, paving the way for Mugabe’s wife,
Grace, to succeed him as president.
At least publicly, the military has said it won’t push Mugabe to leave — even though it effectively took control of the government.
“The elephant in the room is the constitutional issue Womens Nike Free Run 4.0 Flyknit Red Online ,” said Ibbo Mandaza, a Zimbabwean academic, referring to the illegality of the military takeover. “This
is a region where coups are not tolerated.”
While some countries in southern Africa have evident democratic shortcomings, there have been few coups in recent decades. Many are still led by the parties
that fought for independence from colonial rule.
Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe is reportedly refusing to go quietly, despite an apparent military takeover on Nov. 15. (Reuters)
The Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Womens Nike Free Run 3.0 Flyknit Orange Red Cheap , a regional body of 15 nations, met in Botswana on Thursday to discuss the situation and seemed to tilt
toward Mugabe and against the military takeover. In an outline of issues
discussed in
the meeting, the body described the “unconstitutional removal of democratically elected governments.”
The African Union also has taken a hard line against unconstitutional changes of government. Its bylaws require it to impose sanctions against countries that
have undergone a coup and bar them from participating in the organization’s
activities.
[Zimbabwe seized white farmers’ land. Now some are being invited back.]
Further complicating the situation is the question of who might succeed Mugabe.
Many of those close to the military are hoping that Mnangagwa would become the head of a transitional government if Mugabe resigned. That possibility is
worrying for many Western observers, who consider Mnangagwa to be corrupt and
abusive. He was sanctioned by the United States in 2003 as one of several
officials “who undermine democratic processes and institutions in Zimbabwe.”
On Thursday, 115 civil society groups called on Mugabe to step down Mens Nike Free Run 3.0 Flyknit White Orange Sale , and a range of opposition leaders, including Morgan Tsvangirai, once considered his main
political rival, said it was time for Mugabe to go.
As Zimbabweans debated their country’s future in conversations and on messaging apps, Mandaza offered his own prediction: He expected Mugabe to resume
the work of the presidency within days.
After its meeting on Thursday Mens Nike Free Run 3.0 Flyknit Black White Outlet , the SADC said it was not ready to issue a conclusion about the Zimbabwe crisis. Even if the bloc
decides to support Mugabe over the military, it’s possible its members won’t be
willing to back up that decision, either by dispatching troops or using economic
leverage. In 1998, it sent troops to Lesotho to quell a coup, but it has little
experience intervening in larger nations such as Zimbabwe.
[When is a coup not a coup?]
There is still some warmth between Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party Mens Nike Free Run 3.0 Flyknit Blue White On Sale , which fought for Zimbab-we’s independence from Britain and the end of white minority rule, and
the other “liberation parties” of southern Africa, from South Africa’s African
National Congress to Namibia’s SWAPO party.
Last year, South Africa’s president, Jacob Zuma nike free rn sale , described Mugabe as among “the leaders of his generation who stood up, risked their own lives, defeated colonialism and contributed to the
liberation of the region and Africa.”
Mugabe has ruled since the country became independent in 1980. In his early days, he was regarded as a hero by many both at home and abroad.
But his support crumbled over the past two decades as
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