Zimbabwe’s military appeared to be in control of the county on Wednesday as generals denied staging a coup, but vowed to target “criminals” close to President Robert Mugabe.
Mugabe’s decades-long grip on power was dramatically weakened as military vehicles blocked roads outside the parliament in Harare and senior soldiers delivered a late-night television address to the nation.
This poses as a major challenge to the ageing Mugabe, 93, who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980.
Many commended the coup for accomplishing a feat that was believed to be impossible, and for being “the most modest of all military coups”.
The praise for the coup extended to beyond ousting Mugabe, as some users questioned whether the Zimbabwean Defence Forces could also overthrow Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and US President Donald Trump.
This comes after Harare International was renamed to Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport last week, a decision that sparked anger and criticism from the nation’s opposition.
Social media users also shared their opinions of the president under the hashtag #MugabeMustFall, with some rebuking him for being an “evil tyrant” who “pillaged” Zimbabwe.
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