Zimbabwe assassination attempt

This item appears on page 14 of the August 2018 issue.

An explosion, possibly from a grenade, occurred at a podium in the city of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, on June 23, killing two people and injuring at least 49. Zimbabwe’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, had spoken to the crowd and had just left the podium when the explosion occurred, leading authorities there to describe it as an assassination attempt.

On July 30, Zimbabwe was scheduled to hold its first presidential election since the removal of former president Robert Mugabe, in November 2017, in a bloodless coup led by Mnangagwa. Mnangagwa was expected to win the election.