Zimbabwe, 2007 — military coup conspiracy
Event Summary
This entry is coded 29 May 2007, corresponding to the alleged 2007 coup plot against President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. On 29 May 2007 retired Army Captain Albert Matapo and six others were seized in Harare by men identifying themselves as Central Intelligence Organisation and army intelligence officers. Prosecutors later alleged the group had conspired from June 2006 to use the military to overthrow Mugabe and replace him with Rural Housing Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, with Matapo to announce he was in control and invite Mnangagwa and the service chiefs to form a government in which Matapo would be prime minister.
Higher-ranking officers were reported placed under house arrest. Treason charges were laid, but no trial ever took place for lack of evidence; the seven were held for years in Chikurubi Prison, allegedly tortured including by electrocution, and released in 2014, maintaining they had only been trying to form a political party. Analysts widely saw the affair as a move in the ZANU-PF succession struggle, and Mnangagwa dismissed it as stupid.
The 29 May 2007 coding matches the abduction of the accused.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Sources
Editorial Note
Cross-Reference
Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.
Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:
- Cline Center id
55205292007
How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.
Outcome and Target
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: Mugabe's security services detained the alleged plotters, who were held for years then freed.
Baseline coding: Plot discovered and disrupted before execution. Recorded leader fate: remained in office; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.
Baseline Dataset Citation
Baseline Source-Document Entries
CSP
The Daily Telegraph
Calgary Herald
Belfast Telegraph
This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →