President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe just appointed retired Major General Emmanuel Matatu as his new army boss, right before a big anti-government protest planned for Monday. Many people fear this staff change might signal a possible coup soon.
A group of war veterans called for the March 31 protest. These former fighters once backed Mnangagwa but have turned against him, demanding he step down from office. The newly appointed Matatu comes from the same Midlands province as the president, but few Zimbabweans know much about him. Political expert Eldred Masunungure told the BBC that Matatu's background and advanced age of 72 suggest he was chosen just to fill the position temporarily during unstable times.
Masunungure pointed out that Matatu became the fourth army commander since Mnangagwa grabbed power less than eight years ago. He believes this shows ongoing problems between the ruling party and military forces. Though not widely recognized, Matatu fought in the liberation wars of the 1970s and still holds considerable political influence. Earlier, Mnangagwa removed his previous army leader, Lt. Gen Anselem Sanyatwe, moving him to run the Sports, Arts, and Culture Ministry instead.
Mnangagwa rose to power through a military takeover that pushed out longtime leader Robert Mugabe in 2017. He faces growing challenges within his ZANU-PF party, which has controlled Zimbabwe since it gained independence from Britain in 1980. The war veterans claim he has made the economic situation worse and plans to stay beyond his term limit ending in 2028. Most observers see Matatu as loyal to current Defense Forces head Philip Valerio Sibanda, another veteran fighter. Constantino Chiwenga previously led those forces before becoming Vice President. The war veterans organizing Monday's protest want Chiwenga to replace Mnangagwa as president.
A group of war veterans called for the March 31 protest. These former fighters once backed Mnangagwa but have turned against him, demanding he step down from office. The newly appointed Matatu comes from the same Midlands province as the president, but few Zimbabweans know much about him. Political expert Eldred Masunungure told the BBC that Matatu's background and advanced age of 72 suggest he was chosen just to fill the position temporarily during unstable times.
Masunungure pointed out that Matatu became the fourth army commander since Mnangagwa grabbed power less than eight years ago. He believes this shows ongoing problems between the ruling party and military forces. Though not widely recognized, Matatu fought in the liberation wars of the 1970s and still holds considerable political influence. Earlier, Mnangagwa removed his previous army leader, Lt. Gen Anselem Sanyatwe, moving him to run the Sports, Arts, and Culture Ministry instead.
Mnangagwa rose to power through a military takeover that pushed out longtime leader Robert Mugabe in 2017. He faces growing challenges within his ZANU-PF party, which has controlled Zimbabwe since it gained independence from Britain in 1980. The war veterans claim he has made the economic situation worse and plans to stay beyond his term limit ending in 2028. Most observers see Matatu as loyal to current Defense Forces head Philip Valerio Sibanda, another veteran fighter. Constantino Chiwenga previously led those forces before becoming Vice President. The war veterans organizing Monday's protest want Chiwenga to replace Mnangagwa as president.
