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Zimbabwe awaits news on Mugabe's future
Zimbabweans are waiting to see what steps the military will take next after seizing control of the country. President Robert Mugabe is said to be under house arrest but the whereabouts of his wife Grace, who was bidding to succeed him as president, are unknown.
South African ministers have been in the capital Harare meeting the army and political parties. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional bloc will hold emergency talks on Thursday.
President Mugabe, 93, has been in control of Zimbabwe since it gained independence from Britain in 1980. But the power struggle over who might succeed him, between Mrs Mugabe and her rival former vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa, has split the ruling Zanu-PF party in recent months.
More about Zimbabwe and former President Robert Mugabe.
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CNN: Zimbabwe: Talks underway to form transitional government, source says
NYT editorial: For Zimbabwe, a Coup Isn't the Answer
Extras from BBC: Zimbabwe: Did Robert Mugabe finally go too far? - BBC News
Zimbabwe latest: How can you tell if a coup is happening?
Update: 'Mugabe Must Go': Thousands in Zimbabwe Rally Against Leader
Zimbabwe: Zanu-PF leaders meeting to decide Mugabe future
Pressure weighs on Mugabe to quit after mass protests
Update 2: Zanu-PF has removed Mugabe as party leader, and he may be impeached if he does not resign the Presidency by Monday.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Sunday November 19 2017, @06:42PM (1 child)
That's interesting. Wonder how many other dictators death counts include the numbers of people who starved, or otherwise died due to a failed economy. North Korea, for instance. We read and hear stories of peasants starving throughout the winter - but no one offers numbers. I mean, no numbers at all, nevermind credible numbers. Stalin, on the other hand, has a fairly credible inventory of deaths due to his failed policies. Pol Pot's numbers are largely due to starvation, denial of health services, and the destruction of infrastructure. Hitler's numbers, on the other hand, are almost all directly due to violence and persecution.
Food for thought.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 19 2017, @07:23PM
Today you can still visit the killing tree. There are guided tours.
The killing tree is now a pretty think tree. The trunk is perhaps a meter thick. All around the tree, in a macabre forest, human bones stick up out of the soil.
The tree was used to kill babies. Numerous babies were swung by their feet, causing their heads to be cracked against the trunk of the tree.
That isn't just starvation. It makes gas chambers look civilized and gentle. Imagine being the guard. Imagine being a parent forced to watch.
People would also be slow-roasted while dangling over a smoldering fire.
Much of this, though not the tree, is in the movie The Killing Fields. It's a great movie, very true to what happened yet still a well-done movie with a great story. The story (photographer trapped, tortured, escaped) is real. The lead actor was actually a survivor with a similar experience, and he re-starved himself to look right for the role.