Ethnic violence in central Mali is the latest manifestation of the chronic insecurity that has prevailed for the better part of a decade. But even as bullets continue to fly, officials have backed a range of initiatives—from disarmament to a truth commission to criminal trials—to move on from the conflict.

The military coup that ended the ruinous 37-year rule of Robert Mugabe was greeted with genuine enthusiasm both in Zimbabwe and abroad. Yet that spirit has been dashed recently as Mnangagwa’s reforms have been exposed as cosmetic, reminding observers of the underlying character of the ruling ZANU-PF.