{"id":52909,"date":"2017-11-17T06:01:29","date_gmt":"2017-11-17T06:01:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=52909"},"modified":"2017-11-17T06:01:29","modified_gmt":"2017-11-17T06:01:29","slug":"fate-of-zimbabwes-mugabe-hangs-in-the-balance-amid-coup-confusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/world-news\/fate-of-zimbabwes-mugabe-hangs-in-the-balance-amid-coup-confusion.html","title":{"rendered":"Fate of Zimbabwe’s Mugabe hangs in the balance amid coup confusion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fate of Zimbabwe’s Mugabe hangs in the balance amid coup confusion<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe\u2019s fate hung in the balance on Friday as he apparently resisted efforts to make him step down following a seizure of power by the army, until this week a key pillar of his 37-year-rule.<\/span><\/p>\n

The United States, a longtime critic of Mugabe over allegations of human rights abuses and election rigging, is seeking \u201ca new era\u201d for Zimbabwe, the State Department\u2019s top official for Africa said, an implicit call for the nonagenarian leader to quit.<\/span><\/p>\n

The unfolding drama in the capital, Harare, was thrown into confusion when a smiling Mugabe was pictured shaking hands with Zimbabwe\u2019s military chief, the man behind the coup, raising questions about whether or not the end of an era was near.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mugabe unexpectedly drove on Thursday from his lavish \u201cBlue Roof\u201d compound, where he had been confined, to State House, where official media pictured him meeting military boss Constantino Chiwenga and South African mediators.<\/span><\/p>\n

The official Herald newspaper carried no reports of the meeting\u2019s outcome, leaving Zimbabwe\u2019s 13 million people in the dark about the situation.<\/span><\/p>\n

In an interview with Reuters, acting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Donald Yamamoto appeared to dismiss the idea of Mugabe remaining in a transitional or ceremonial role.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a transition to a new era for Zimbabwe, that\u2019s really what we\u2019re hoping for,\u201d Yamamoto said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The army may want Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980, to go quietly and allow a smooth and bloodless transition to Emmerson Mnangagwa, the vice president Mugabe sacked last week, triggering the crisis.<\/span><\/p>\n

The main goal of the generals is to prevent Mugabe from handing power to his wife, Grace, 41 years his junior, who has built a following among the ruling party\u2019s youth wing and appeared on the cusp of power after Mnangagwa was pushed out.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018SOME SORT OF AGREEMENT\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Mugabe, who at 93 has appeared increasingly frail in public, is insisting he remains Zimbabwe\u2019s only legitimate ruler and is refusing to quit. But pressure was mounting on the former guerrilla to accept offers of a graceful exit, political sources said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Zimbabwe\u2019s former head of intelligence, Dumiso Dabengwa, was to hold a news conference in Johannesburg at 1200 GMT. A South African government source said he expected Dabengwa, a close ally of the ousted Mnangagwa, to discuss the events in Zimbabwe. \u201cIt seems there is some sort of agreement,\u201d the source said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-\u00a0https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-zimbabwe-politics\/fate-of-zimbabwes-mugabe-hangs-in-the-balance-amid-coup-confusion-idUSKBN1DG38N<\/span><\/p>\n

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