there will be another despot waiting in the wings
Mnangagwa might fit the bill.
Mnangagwa was a guerilla leader during the Rhodesian Bush War. After Zimbabwe was recognized in 1980, Mnangagwa held a series of senior cabinet positions under Mugabe, including as minister of state security during the Gukurahundi massacres in which up to 20,000 mainly Ndebele civilians were killed. Mnangagwa blamed the army for the massacres and continued to hold senior cabinet positions, though he is widely believed to be responsible.