Zimbabwe’s Mugabe Out Of Power For First Time Since 1980s As Military Takes Control

Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe speaks at a rally in Harare on July 27, 2016.

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President Robert Mugabe and his family are “safe and sound,” according to Zimbabwe’s military — but his decades in power are seemingly at an end, after Mugabe, 93, was forcefully pushed aside. Both the ruling party and the military insist there was no coup.

“We are only targeting criminals around him who are committing crimes that are causing social and economic suffering in the country in order to bring them to justice,” the Zimbabwe Defense Forces said on Wednesday, adding, “As soon as we have accomplished our mission we expect that the situation will return to normalcy.”

But it will be a new normal for Zimbabwe, which has been led by Mugabe since the 1980s.