Some are speaking of a ray of hope that the iron grip of Robert Mugabe on the country of Zimbabwe may be coming to an end after the army seized state-Run television and placed the Zimbabwean president under House Arrest. There had been days of tension leading up to the dramatic events which took place yesterday, and amid reports of light gunfire, the military took control of the State-run broadcasting service ZBC late on Tuesday night. According to the BBC, Major General Sibusiso Moyo appeared on the nations television screens, claiming that this was not a "coup" and that the military was targeting "criminals" that were connected to the Mugabe regime.
A bloodless end to a bloody reign?
Robert Mugabe has been the de-facto ruler of the nation of Zimbabwe for over 37 years. During the time of his reign, Robert Mugabe enacted aggressive land reforms which saw the land of minority white Zimbabweans seized, at times with bloody results. This led to a collapse of the agricultural infrastructure and saw a nation which was once labelled as "The bread basket of Africa" struggling to feed its own people.
Following the disastrous move, hyperinflation took a hold in the country, with it eventually costing trillions of Zimbabwean dollars just to buy a loaf of bread as the shelves of stores ran out of food. This turbulent economic situation is still one which many Zimbabwean's are feeling the effect of today and is thought to have some influence on this move which has been undertaken by the military.
So far, the move by the military has been largely bloodless, although there have unconfirmed reports that at least one security guard has died in an exchange of bullets during the detention of the country's finance minister Ignatius Chombo, who has also been taken into custody.
The "coup" is said to have been triggered by the sacking of Mugabe's deputy Emmerson Mnangagwa, and BBC correspondents are reporting that the move by the military may be an attempt at installing Mr Mnangagwa as the new President.
It is thought that Robert Mugabe favoured his wife Grace 52, to be his successor when the 93-year-old leader eventually passes away.
South Africa's president Jacob Zuma has said he has spoken with Robert Mugabe and has said that he is "safe." Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has said that the Foreign Office is monitoring the situation "very closely." Military units remained stationed on the streets around the capital Harare and soldiers are posted outside the headquarters of Mugabe's Zanu-PF party. It has been stressed that this is not a coup but evidence seen in the last 24 hours has led many to believe that the 37-year reign of the often divisive leader is quickly approaching its end.
