Zimbabwean Army Takes Control

On Wednesday morning, November 15, the Zimbabwean army announced that it had taken power from 93-year-old President Robert Mugabe. According to military officials, Mugabe and his family are 'safe and secure.' A witness in the capital, Harare, told Reuters that soldiers and armored vehicles blocked roads leading to government offices, preventing access to Parliament and courts in central Harare. General S.B. Moyo, the army's logistics chief, stated on state television, 'We are only looking for the criminals surrounding him (Mugabe) who are committing crimes that have created social and economic problems, and we intend to bring these individuals to justice.' General Moyo added, 'We expect conditions to return to normal immediately after our mission is complete.' Reports have emerged of the arrest of the Minister of Finance, Ignatius Chombo, a key leader of a faction known as 'G40,' which had separated from the ruling ZANU-PF party. G40 was formed around Mugabe's wife and is said to have aimed to transfer power to Grace Mugabe. Recent reports indicate that this faction had reprimanded and purged over 100 senior government officials due to their closeness to Emmerson Mnangagwa, the Vice President who was considered the main successor to Mugabe and was dismissed. Mnangagwa fled Zimbabwe, claiming his life was in danger; he has the support of the army. General Constantino Chiwenga, the army commander, had warned on Monday about the purging of senior officials in the ruling ZANU-PF party and called for an end to these actions. The ruling ZANU-PF party, in a statement, accused the army command of 'treacherous' behavior, stating that General Chiwenga's remarks were aimed at disrupting peace and stability and inciting chaos. As tensions continued, while Grace Mugabe was preparing to be introduced as the Vice President and successor to Mnangagwa, reports of clashes and military deployments in Harare emerged on Tuesday, and hours later, the army announced it was in control. Robert Mugabe has been the President of Zimbabwe since 1987. Grace Marufu (Mugabe), who is 40 years younger than her husband, married him in 1996.