- published: 26 Oct 2015
- views: 136136
The Gukurahundi (Shona: "the early rain which washes away the chaff before the spring rains") was the suppression of Zimbabwean civilians, mostly supporters of Joshua Nkomo, by Zimbabwe's 5th Brigade in the predominantly Ndebele regions of Zimbabwe during the 1980s. A few hundred disgruntled former Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) combatants waged armed banditry against the civilians in Matabeleland, and destroyed government installations. Similar attacks were carried out by militia from neighbouring South Africa, which was then under apartheid and hoped to destabilise Zimbabwe. In the ensuing conflict thousands were killed—estimates range as high as 30,000. An in-depth report by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe, published in 1997, reported 3,750 confirmed dead, and speculated that the actual figure could be double this, or higher. The violence ended after the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) and Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) reached a unity agreement on 22 December 1987 that merged the two parties to form one party known as ZANU PF, with Mugabe as leader of the party as well as of state and government as the new President of Zimbabwe since 31 December 1987.
In military terms, 5th Brigade may refer to:
Documentary of the massacres in Matabeleland by the Zimbabwe Army 5th Brigade
Gukurahundi refers to the attempted genocide of the Ndebele by Robert Mugabe's 5th Brigade soon after Zimbabwe gained independence. MORE THAN 20 000 PEOPLE WERE KILLED
Zimbabwean politician Joice Mujuru served as Robert Mugabe's vice president for a decade. Now she has founded her own party and is running to take over in 2018. But why should people vote for someone who was part of a regime that killed thousands? Conflict Zone is Deutsche Welle's top political interview. Every week, our hosts Tim Sebastian and Michel Friedman are face-to-face with global decision-makers, seeking straight answers to straight questions, putting the spotlight on controversial issues and calling the powerful to account. Twitter: https://twitter.com/dw_conflictzone Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dw.conflictz... More about Tim Sebastian: http://www.dw.com/p/1G7K9 More about Michel Friedman: http://www.dw.com/p/1IMJx For more go to http://www.dw.com/conflictzone
The Gukurahundi (Shona: "the early rain which washes away the chaff before the spring rains"[1]) refers to the suppression by Zimbabwe's 5th Brigade in the predominantly Ndebele regions of Zimbabwe most of whom were supporters of Joshua Nkomo. A few hundred disgruntled former ZIPRA combatants waged armed banditry against the civilians in Matabeleland, and destroyed government installations.[2] The North-Korean-trained Fifth Brigade executed an estimated 20,000 civilians. The violence ended after ZANU and ZAPU reached a unity agreement on 22 December 1987 that merged the two parties to form one party known as ZANU PF, with Mugabe as leader of the party as well as of state and government as the new President of Zimbabwe since 31 December 1987.