It sounds like all smokescreen to me, but I wonder if he might not be having doubts about his own Marxist ideals? Or cold feet? It may have sounded good to have a civil uprising against him so he can exert control through military means, but it may just be too intense for him to go through?
Just thinking out loud here...
Don't think for a second, that if Odumbo can't stomach the stress, that the man with his hand up the puppets a$$, won't throw away the now useless puppet, and replace it with a newer one.