Application of Responsibility to Protect in Zimbabwe: Preventing Potential Ethnic Conflict after Mass Killing In The 1980’s: Memorandum to the Office of the Responsibility to Protect — The Zimbabwean
A research abstract by Kudzai L. Nyamkondiwa (2017).
Abstract
Over 20 000 people were killed in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces of Zimbabwe between the years 1982 and 1987 in a series of massacres known as Gukurahundi, “the early rain that washes away the chaff before the spring rains”. These massacres were ordered by Prime Minister Robert Gabriel Mugabe in an effort to dispel ZAPU political party supporters and dissidents. Regrettably, the Ndebele people were viewed as dissidents by the 5th Brigade (a North Korean-trained military unit whose official mandate was to execute Gukurahundi), the Central Intelligence Officers (CIOs) and other military personnel involved in the massacres, therefore, this period of Zimbabwean history was driven by ethnic difference. Gukurahundi was perceived as a direct attack towards the Ndebele people who had become the victims of physical torture, detention, deprivation of food and having their homes burnt down. A Unity Accord was signed by Robert G. Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo on 22 December 1987 to stop the killings, however, Gukurahundi itself was not publicly acknowledged nor were its consequences addressed. Consequently, these massacres are a mobilizing motive behind the current ethnic conflict between the Ndebele and the Shona.
This paper explores the problems that have arisen as a result of Gukurahundi including indifference, low-intensity hostility, and adversarial politics as well as the problems that are likely to arise if Gukurahundi is left unaddressed given the unstable political and economic climates of Zimbabwe. In 2016, Zimbabwean citizens began protests to rally for those in political leadership to bring about necessary economic growth. This increased frustration, coupled with the continual silencing of journalists, protesters, and others who have challenged the government, has intensified tension between the Shona and the Ndebele by heightening economic competition between the two ethnic groups. Violence may break out if no active measures are taken to address this ethnic tension as history has shown in Kenya, Rwanda, and various other countries.
Please click here to read Kudzai’s full research paper.
Reflection on the Pioneer Research Project
The Pioneer Research Program* allowed me to explore Humanitarian Intervention, a topic I had little knowledge on, so I took up the challenge with no academic research experience, a few minor reservations and an abundance of determination and curiosity. Over a period of five months, I delved into details of the Rwandan Genocide, the Syrian Crisis, the Zimbabwean Gukurahundi, and several other atrocities under the guidance of Professor Anna Di Lellio from New York University. Unexpectedly, my greatest takeaway was a personal one, a reaffirmation of a piece of advice Mr. Chris Bradford offered my year group: “Do hard things”. In participating in the Pioneer Research Program I was challenged to seek out different perspectives and write more effectively. Overall, I am grateful for the opportunity I had to learn more about humanitarian intervention and myself.
*The Pioneer Research Program is a program in which high school students conduct academic research under the supervision of a recognised university professor. Click here to find out more about the Pioneer Research Program.
“Having grown up in Matebeleland, I never fully understood the reasons behind the Ndebele — Shona conflict moreover the details of Gukurahundi were always shrouded in secrecy. The work I did in the Pioneer Research Program allowed me to gain insight into this unmentioned subject.”
Kudzai Lynnette Nyamkondiwa is from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. She joined ALA in September 2016.
