Military negotiating return of Mnangagwa
Mugabe could defy odds, remain in power at least during an interim period
HARARE, ZIMBABWE» The nation’s defense forces appeared to open the door Monday to the possibility that 93-year-old President Robert Mugabe could stay in power, after both sides offered “several guarantees” nearly a week after the military detained him, according to a top army commander.
Although Mugabe’s fate remained murky, the prospect that he might have survived a military takeover, historic opposition protests and removal from his own political party suggested once again his uncanny ability to hang on to power.
In a statement Monday night, Gen. Constantino Chiwenga, chief of Zimbabwe’s armed forces, said the military had held “further consultations with the president to agree on a road map” for the country. The plan includes the “expected” return of former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa, whom Mugabe had fired earlier this month. The statement referred to Mugabe as the commander in chief and said the military was “encouraged by new developments.”
It was Mnangagwa’s dismissal that prompted the military intervention last Tuesday, which ushered in a tumultuous and often buoyant week in Harare, with thousands taking to the streets, rejoicing in what appeared to be the end of Mugabe’s rule. But Sunday night, in what many expected to be a publicly televised resignation, the world’s oldest head of state instead delivered a meandering speech, making it clear that he had no intention of leaving the presidency.
Analysts said military commanders may have worked out a deal that would lead to Mugabe’s resignation after an interim period and his replacement by Mnangagwa, possibly during next month’s congress of the ruling ZANU-PF party. For now, the military’s vague statement about a “road map” left plenty of room for conjecture.
For years, as Mugabe’s rule grew more erratic and repressive, Zimbabweans spoke openly about when and how the “old man” would go. This week brought that outcome closer than ever.