“Chissano likened the situation to leaving an open door in a straw hut for a mad dog that, when kicked would almost likely run out, whereas if the door were closed the dog would probably turn and bite,” Todd Chapman from the US embassy in Maputo wrote.
Chapman suggested that Chissano’s comments and their directness could be a sign that Mugabe was running out of friends and that “even some of the old comrades from the independence struggles have grown weary of the problems next door.”
Chissano suggested that Mugabe needed a face saving exit strategy in order to feel as though he could leave peacefully. The discussion with Chissano, a former regional ally of Mugabe, came just days before a unity government was formed to end a year-long political impasse caused by disputed elections.
Mugabe stayed on as President with coalition partners Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara becoming Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister respectively.
