Robert Mugabe was spotted at a graduation ceremony on Friday despite being under house arrest in the wake of the military coup in Zimbabwe.
Mr Mugabe has been ordered to resign or face impeachment, however, the 93-year-old has refused to back down amid the threats.
Doctor Brilliant Mhlanga, an academic at the University of Hertfordshire, warned of a possible civil conflict as Mr Mugabe clings on to power.
He told talkRADIO: “The situation is still very tense and very dangerous. In fact, I should highlight that this is a coup, by the way.
“The only problem is, the coup plotters have failed to manage their coup. The more they stay with this kind of impasse, the more they find themselves trying to explain that it’s not a coup – it is a coup.”
Doctor Mhlanga added: “A lot of people are being abducted, these are not arrests that are taking place because the army has no arresting power, so they are literally abducting and harassing people.
“But, they present a facade of a peaceful government, it’s just politics that they are playing.”
The academic refused to rule out the possibility of a civil conflict arising from the military coup because of Zimbabwe’s political history.
“If this government continues the way it is there is the possibility of a kind of civil conflict,” he said.
“There may be some need for the military to intervene and it is still a very big possibility.”
Doctor Mhlanga said surrounding countries, such as Angola and Namibia, could be keen to join in any military action in Zimbabwe.
Emerson Mnangagwa, who was removed as vice president, is poised to become Mr Mugabe’s successor.
However, Doctor Mhlanga believes he “is not a good candidate for any form of change” because he is “part of the process we find ourselves in”.
He said: “He has $15 billion that he stole with the army general that he hasn’t accounted for, which is the cause of all this, because when this was triggered as an investigation everyone panicked, including the general.
“Then they decided it’s best we stop this by actually staging a coup.”