End game approaching for Mugabe in Zimbabwe as soldiers fight police?

Could the writing be finally on the wall for Bob Mugabe and his Zanu-PF regime as the sole power in Zimbabwe? The country has been gradually collapsing in chaos over the last few years but there are signs now the end point has been reached beyond things cannot get much worse if the country is still to operate. Cholera is rampant in the country, not helped by the fact the capital Harare has had it's water supply cut off because the authorities do not have the chemical to treat the water anymore.



However these things do not spell a possible end, the economy has been so bad for so long that inflation cannot be measured in any meaningful way and the currency has to be reprinted every few days as notes become worthless. What could finally spell the end are signs that the loyalty of the army is beginning to unravel and without the army even Mugabe will struggle to remain in charge. In Harare troops who had queued all day for money were denied it by the bank and then joined civilians in protest. When riot police turned up to disperse the protest the soldiers then fought the police. Groups of soldiers have also been looting shops and robbing passers-by.

British troops in Zimbabwe?

The new Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) which is signing a power sharing deal with Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF today, apparently wishes the return of a British Army team to help train the Zimbabwean army. The MDC no doubt wishes to temper the actions of the army which has often been involved in violence against the MDC. It would be a tough call though considering the antagonism between Mugabe and Britain lately and his claims Britian wished to make Zimbabwe a colony again.


"I'm all for it as long as they give us some toys too, a squadron of Typhoons and a division of Challenger 2s should suffice."

Zimbabwe army near collapse

The Zimbabwe army is said to be near collapse with impoverished soldiers with poor equipment that is falling apart. No i said Zimbabwe not Britain! The economic collapse of the country is impoverishing it's army so does that have implications for Mugabe as he is being propped up by the powerful Generals? They are rich however while the lowly foot soldiers earn less than £13 a month and miminal food. Their equipment like boots, the cheapest Chinese available, fall apart in days. Ammo is in such short supply that new recruits arn't training on the firing range. Unfortunately the state of the army is said to not mean Mugabe is about to be removed as most soldiers would rather desert or leave than revolt.

So another low is reached, last week it was reported Zimbabwe couldn't even print any more of it's largely worthless currency as it had run out of the paper (and probably ran out of space for the zeroes). But when you think that poor country has reached the lowest point and can't get any worse unfortunately it seems to do just that.