Zimbabwe - July 2024

On 16 July, President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched community hearings in which survivors of the historical ‘Gukurahundi’ atrocities are to give accounts and provide evidence. The atrocities included large-scale massacres, rapes, torture and disappearances, and were perpetrated by a unit of the Zimbabwean army between 1983 and 1987, mostly against the country’s Ndebele-speaking communities. Gukurahundi, meaning ‘the rain that washes away the chaff’ in Shona, was the codename of the operation under which the atrocities were committed. The hearings are to begin in August and will be led by local chiefs. They are intended to address the legacy of the Gukurahundi, which has left lingering ethnic tensions. Previous public hearings have stalled and some survivors have expressed doubts about the current programme, citing Mnangagwa’s proximity to the atrocities, as he was Minister of State for National Security at the time. The President has repeatedly denied allegations of involvement.

Sources: Al Jazeera, British Broadcasting Corporation, President of Zimbabwe, Heal Zimbabwe Trust, The Sunday Mail, The Herald