Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

When Mugabe came to Switzerland

Zimbabwe is turning a page in its history after Robert Mugabe resigned as president of the southeastern African nation on Tuesday. He was under strong pressure from the army and his former political allies after last week’s coup.

His resignation ends nearly 40 years of rule by a man who turned from independence hero to archetypal African strongman.

The 93-year old Mugabe visited the Swiss city of Geneva at least three times in his long career – first to represent the Patriotic Front during the Geneva Conference on Rhodesia in 1976, and then to attend conferences at the United Nations European seat.

His last official visit to the shores of Lake Geneva dates back to 2003 when he was granted a visa by the Swiss government despite an international travel ban.

swissinfo.ch/urs

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR