In the ninth in the series of “IntelBriefs” on African security issues being produced by the Atlantic Council’s Michael S. Ansari Africa Center in partnership with the Soufan Group, an international strategic consultancy, Ansari Center Deputy Director Bronwyn Bruton examines political dynamics in Zimbabwe as the mandate of the country’s Government of National Unity draws toward its conclusion.
She warns that with the deadline looming for a referendum on a new constitution and general elections, but security sector reform not yet undertaken—leaving the police and military firmly under the control of President Robert Mugabe—the upcoming polls are “guaranteed to be violent and certainly won’t be free.”