Part 6/9:
However, the promise of a new Zimbabwe began to unravel. By the early 1980s, tensions between his party, ZANU, and the rival ZAPU led to violent confrontations. Mugabe’s decision to form the Fifth Brigade—trained by North Korea to suppress dissent in Matabeleland—marked the start of a notorious campaign known as Gukurahundi. This brutal operation involved mass killings and human rights violations, targeting not just suspected dissidents but entire communities. Estimates suggest over 20,000 civilians lost their lives, and many more were tortured or displaced.