U.S. Embassy in Zimbabwe Warns Americans to Seek Shelter

HARARE, ZIMBABWE - NOVEMBER 15 : A tank seals off a main road to the Zimbabwe high court within the military activities taking place in Harare, Zimbabwe on November 15, 2017. President Robert Mugabe and his family have been detained following military intervention in capital Harare, which an army spokesman and the ruling party insisted Wednesday was not a coup. Military officers appeared on television early Wednesday to make a statement saying they were targeting criminals around President Robert Mugabe. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

We don’t know for sure, but it looks like a military coup just occurred in the African country of Zimbabwe.

Last night, the military reportedly had taken Zimbabwe’s president, Robert Mugabe, captive. From the BBC: “Zimbabwe’s military has placed President Robert Mugabe under house arrest in the capital Harare, South African President Jacob Zuma says.”

There is speculation that this move is being made to finally oust Mugabe from power, even though the military is denying such a claim. The nation’s armed forces have already taken control of the Harare airport, parliament buildings, and many government organizations.

This is huge. A coup d’etat is currently taking place in Zimbabwe. The military has taken control. https://t.co/fOtZ5DVxOp

— Bill Browder (@Billbrowder) November 15, 2017

The military put out the following message last night over television broadcast. The quality isn’t great, and the speech seems stilted, which could mean a few things: Either this was quickly put together, or the military is hiding something it doesn’t want the general public to know.

Military coups aren’t out of the ordinary in countries like Zimbabwe. Even so, they create a lot of confusion and disorder. Citizens of the country are now in the dark when it comes to who is running their country.

The U.S. embassy in Zimbabwe put out this dire warning to American citizens either living in or currently visiting the country:

Due to ongoing uncertainty in Zimbabwe, the U.S. Embassy in Harare will be minimally staffed and closed to the public on November 15. Embassy personnel will continue to monitor the situation closely. @StateDept

— U.S. Embassy Harare (@usembassyharare) November 15, 2017

In a statement the embassy said: “US citizens in Zimbabwe are encouraged to shelter in place until further notice.”

This is good advice. When coups happen, violence shortly follows. Already, we’ve seen reports of gunfire and explosions in Zimbabwe’s capital.

This is big. For decades Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe with an iron fist. I’m betting this coup was years in the making and appears to have been executed in full last night.

We’ll have to wait and see what happens when the smoke finally clears. Until then, Americans in Zimbabwe should take action to stay safe. There’s no telling what’s coming next.

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