Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe (in the green sash) inspects a guard of honor during official Heroes Day commemorations held at National Heroes Acre in Zimbabwe, Aug. 14.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace Mugabe stand before a lecturn at an event to announce Grace's appointment to vice president after her predecessor, Emmerson Mnangagwa, was sacked. Removing Mnangagwa, nicknamed the Crocodile, and purging his allies was a step too far for certain elite factions of the country's ruling party.

Two young women cross the street in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, as soldiers regulate traffic at the intersection. The Zimbabwean military denied speculation that they were instituting a coup, saying that they were instead working to punish criminals. 

Zimbabwe's former vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, speaks at a key meeting on behalf of President Robert Mugabe in 2008. Mnangagwa was formerly the most likely successor to the presidency before Mugabe fired him, citing disloyalty. 

Members of the black nationalist guerrilla fighters from the Zimbabwean African Liberation Army, led by Robert Mugabe, stage a rally in 1980. Zimbabwe, like many countries in Africa, must now face the many difficulties presented by a political system dominated by a ruling liberation-era party, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front in Zimbabwe's case.

Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith practices at a shooting range in 1964. A brutal guerrilla war, which Robert Mugabe participated and fought in, forced Ian Smith to make concessions and eventually led to the creation of Zimbabwe where Rhodesia once stood. Smith held office from 1964 to 1979, leading the mainly white government that declared independence from the United Kingdom in 1965. The country finally gained independence in 1980.

Equitorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema and his wife arrive in South Africa for the inauguration of the country's president, Jacob Zuma, in 2009. Zimbabwe's next leader, like Zuma, will be faced with the difficult challenge of helping their country transition from the liberation-era leadership of their predecessor. 

Supporters of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe gather at his party headquarters to express their support for the appointment of his wife, Grace Mugabe, to the role of vice president and likely successor after the firing of Emmerson Mnangagwa. It is highly unlikely that Grace Mugabe will gain power, though her whereabouts are unknown and rumors that she has fled to Namibia are unconfirmed.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a diplomatic ceremony in China. Zimbabwe has cultivated deep ties with China, which will likely push for a peaceful transition of power to preserve its many investments in the country's infrastructure and political establishment. 

Schoolchildren take part in a carnival in the streets of Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, in 2015. Zimbabweans throughout the country have largely been able to continue with their daily lives despite the chaotic transition of power, as everyday people in Zimbabwe have been cut off from the political process for decades.