Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe Reportedly Stepping Down In Apparent Coup

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On Wednesday, Zimbabwe’s military denied on state TV that it had overthrown longtime President Robert Mugabe, despite tanks in the streets and reports of explosions and gunfire. The ruling ZANU-PF party later tweeted that former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, whom Mugabe had ousted last week, had stepped in as interim president, and South Africa’s News24 said Mugabe, 93, is “preparing to step down.” The ZANU-PF account called Wednesday’s military takeover a “bloodless transition,” and said Mugabe and his wife, Grace, are “detained and safe.” With Mnangagwa out of government, Mugabe’s 52-year-old wife had been seen as his heir apparent. Army Gen. Constantino Chiwenga, an ally of Mnangagwa, had warned Mugabe Monday that to protect “our revolution, the military will not hesitate to step in.”