Harare, Zimbabwe - Africa is riveted by the overnight drama that has left longtime Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe in military custody.
Many across the continent have known no other leader of the once-prosperous southern African nation but the 93-year-old Mugabe, the world's oldest head of state.
Here is a look at his more than three decades in power.
1980:
Mugabe named prime minister after independence elections
1982:
Military action begins in Matabeleland against perceived uprising; government is accused of killing thousands of civilians
1987:
Mugabe changes constitution and becomes president
1994:
Mugabe receives honorary British knighthood
2000:
Land seizures of white-owned farms begin; Western donors cut off aid
2005:
United States calls Zimbabwe an "outpost of tyranny"
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, left, and his wife Grace Mugabe chant the party's slogan during a solidarity rally in Harare, Zimbabwe. AP Photo
2008:
Mugabe and opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirayi agree to share power after contested election; Britain's Queen Elizabeth II annuls Mugabe's honorary knighthood
2011:
Prime Minister Tsvangirayi declares power-sharing a failure amid violence
2013:
Mugabe wins seventh term; opposition alleges election fraud
2016:
#ThisFlag protest movement emerges; independence war veterans turn on Mugabe, calling him "dictatorial"
2017:
Mugabe begins campaigning for 2018 elections
November 6: Mugabe fires deputy Emmerson Mnangagwa, appearing to position first lady Grace Mugabe for vice president post
November 15: Army announces it has Mugabe and his wife in custody as military appears to take control