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VICE News

No One is Quite Sure What Is Happening in Zimbabwe

Tanks, “treacherous shenanigans,” and chaos.

Tanks were seen rolling towards Zimbabwe’s capital on Tuesday as threats to President Robert Mugabe’s decades-long grip on power seem to be intensifying.

A week after arresting a 25-year-old American woman for allegedly making a crack about his age on Twitter, the world’s oldest head of state is now facing an unprecedented challenge from senior military veterans who helped him win power 37 years ago.

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The head of Zimbabwe’s armed forces threatened this week to “step in” to end the “treacherous shenanigans” that have engulfed the country’s politics, including a purge of senior military veterans who participated in the revolution.

The crisis began last week after Mugabe fired one of his longest-serving aides, Vice President Emerson Mnangagwa, a man once seen as the president’s heir-apparent.

Mugabe accused his former ally, among other things, of using witchcraft to determine when the 93-year-old president would finally drop dead.

“He started consulting traditional healers on when I was going to die,” Mugabesaid.

Mnangagwa fled the country, claiming threats against his life.

Mugabe’s 53-year-old wife, Grace, now appears next in line to succeed her husband. But not if Mugabe’s exiled vice president has anything to do with it. From an undisclosed location, Mnangagwa released a statement vowing to “return to Zimbabwe to lead you.”

The head of Zimbabwe’s armed forces followed up, signaling support for the former vice president from within the country’s military elite.

“The current purging which is clearly targeting members of the party with a liberation background must stop forthwith,” General Constantino Chiwenga,told a press conference, surrounded by some 90 senior army officers.

“We must remind those behind the current treacherous shenanigans that when it comes to matters of protecting our revolution, the military will not hesitate to step in.”

Despite tank movements, the streets of the capital, Harare, remained calm, and it was far from certain whether a coup was actually underway. Witnesses told Reuters they saw four tanks rolling towards the capital Tuesday before turning toward the barracks that house the presidential guard.

Two other tanks were reportedly seen parked on the main road heading towards the capital. One of them had come off its tracks.