![FILE - In this April 7, 2016 file photo Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe attends a meeting with the country's war veterans in Harare. Mugabe seemed almost untouchable for much of his nearly four-decade rule. Shrewd and ruthless, he managed to stay in power despite advancing age, growing opposition, international sanctions and the dissolving economy of a once-prosperous African nation. Now, the apparent abrupt end of the Mugabe era is launching Zimbabwe into the unknown. It's a humbling close to the career of a man who crushed dissent or sidelined opponents after leading Zimbabwe since 1980. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, File)](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/LQWGFCJP2JSKZ4F3OX256REBCU.jpg?smart=true&auth=cb187d67505d8c7c857e8e9ae5f07c6e3ab588d58df718e710d54ed9f7ab141d&width=400&height=225)
Ousted Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe/ AP
Ousted Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe/ AP
Mugabe's fall from grace unlikely to end Zimbabwe's political infighting and economic decay
The outlook in the breadbasket of southern Africa looks far from rosy with a leadership new in name alone