Zimbabwe: Overview

Zimbabwe is a country of around 17 million people. It is located in the southern region of Africa.

In 1980, Zimbabwe became independent from the United Kingdom. Since then, the government has been run by the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF). Under ZANU-PF, the Zimbabwean government has committed multiple episodes of mass atrocities.

One of the most severe episodes was the Gukurahundi massacres (1983–1987). During these massacres, government forces killed about 20,000 people in predominantly ethnic Ndebele areas. 

The ZANU-PF government also waged an intimidation campaign during the general elections in 2008. Government forces organized systematic attacks against opposition groups and their perceived supporters.

1965–1980: Leading up to Mass Atrocities in Zimbabwe

Before the mass atrocities, there were 15 years of tense cooperation between two armed wings of Zimbabwe’s independence movement. These wings were called the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) and the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU).

Before 1980, the country known today as Zimbabwe was called Rhodesia (1965–1979). Before 1965, Southern Rhodesia was a British colony. In 1965, representatives of the white minority in Southern Rhodesia declared independence from the United Kingdom.

Before this declaration, the United Kingdom had been negotiating a transition to an independent country. This transition included political and economic rights for the country’s Black African majority. The white minority government of Rhodesia declared independence to keep Black Africans from power. Throughout the 1970s, ZANU and ZAPU were the two major factions of a rebellion against this government. In 1979, these groups rose to power through negotiations with Rhodesian leaders and the United Kingdom. As a result, ZANU and ZAPU created a path to free and fair elections. The new Zimbabwean government declared independence in 1980.

After coming to power, ZANU officials accused ZAPU of supporting dissidents in the country’s south. This set the stage for a series of massacres known as the Gukurahundi (1983–1987).

The Gukurahundi Massacres (1983–1987)

Between 1983 and 1987, special forces from the Zimbabwean army killed more than 20,000 people. These people lived in the predominantly ethnic Ndebele areas of Matabeleland and Midlands provinces. The army forcibly displaced tens of thousands more. These massacres are known as the Gukurahundi massacres. The term “Gukurahundi” comes from Shona, the language of one of Zimbabwe’s largest ethnic groups. It means “the early rain that washes away the chaff.” “The chaff” is a derogatory reference to the Ndebele groups targeted by the violence. The phrase “early rain” implies “cleansing.” It refers to the massacre of Ndebele civilians by government armed forces.

ZANU (now ZANU-PF) has controlled the Zimbabwean government since 1980. It has done little to acknowledge the Gukurahundi violence. Research suggests that members of the ZANU inner circle, including former President Robert Mugabe (in office 1980–2017) and current President Emmerson Mnangagwa (in office since 2017), may have organized the massacres. As of 2024, no senior official has faced accountability for their role in the atrocities.

Since the massacres began, ZANU-PF has paid lip-service to justice for the massacres. However, local organizations run most reconciliation and psychosocial support programs without government support. Although Mugabe approved a commission about the massacres in 1983, the report has not been formally released.

Election Violence in 2008

Since the 1980s, Zimbabwe has continued to experience episodes of mass atrocities.

The most lethal case of large-scale violence since the Gukurahundi massacres occurred in 2008. This violence was related to the general election held that year. It peaked from March to June.

In the run-up to the general election in early 2008, ZANU-PF targeted opposition and civil leaders. They launched an intimidation campaign to curb support for the opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change-Tsvangirai (MDC-T). Government security forces and ZANU-PF supporters killed around 200 civilians. The violence surged in March after the first round of the presidential election. The results showed that MDC-T won more votes than any other party. But the government-linked Zimbabwe Electoral Commission claimed the MDC-T did not receive enough votes to take power.

After the elections, senior government officials mobilized security forces. They also deployed youth and war veteran militias linked to the ZANU-PF. These forces committed systematic atrocities against MDC-T organizers and supporters. ZANU-linked attacks killed around 200 civilians. Thousands more were tortured or forcibly disappeared. The violence secured ZANU-PF’s victory in the runoff elections in June. It also dealt a significant blow to opposition party structures.

The global community pressured the ZANU-PF government to halt the violence. Fearing the effects of Zimbabwe’s violence on their economy, the South African government helped negotiate a political solution to the crisis. The result was a Government of National Unity between ZANU-PF and MDC-T. This unified government was in charge until ZANU-PF’s victory in the 2013 elections. Nevertheless, analysts criticized ZANU-PF for manipulating the process of power-sharing to gain the upper hand against MDC-T.

Zimbabwe After Mugabe

In 2016, the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum warned of risks of mass atrocities (PDF) in Zimbabwe.

At the time, President Robert Mugabe was in his early 90s. Conflict ensued regarding Mugabe’s successor. In 2017, Emmerson Mnangagwa staged a coup that removed Mugabe from power. After the coup, Mnangagwa took power with the support of the Zimbabwean military. He was formally elected president in August 2018.

Mass atrocities have not occurred in Zimbabwe since Mnangagwa took power. However, under him, government security forces have continued to arrest and attack human rights activists and opposition leaders.