DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2018.v06i03.037

Pages: 745-751

The thirty seven (37) years old rule of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe was brought to an abrupt end when on the 14th of November, 2017, the Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF) seized the State Radio and announced a temporal seizure of power which ultimately resulted in the resignation of Mugabe and the installation of his erstwhile impeached deputy (Emmerson Mnangagwa) as the President of Zimbabwe. This paper interrogates the objectives of the Defense Forces of Zimbabwe in disrupting democracy in the country and the international response. Using the Conspiracy theory as an explanatory framework, the paper questioned the positive approval of the international community to this undemocratic change of power. The paper reveals that even the African Union that vowed to resist any undemocratic change of government in the continent is silent and this may not be unconnected with their questionable loyalty to Western powers. The implication is that should the African Union (AU) and international community legitimize the current situation in Zimbabwe, it will breed a new wave and method of changing democratic governments in the continent. Necessary panacea was also proffered.