Pro-Government Militias
ZANU-PF militia (Zimbabwe)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 100 |
| Country: | Zimbabwe |
| Date formed: | July 8, 1985 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The group is first mentioned in 1985, without further details on how they were created. |
| Date dissolved: | Unknown |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | There is no evidence of the group being terminated. Their last activity was reported in 2013. |
| Termination Type(s): | not terminated |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | Youth Service Brigade/Green Bombers , War Vets |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | yes |
| Former Armed Group? | yes |
| Former Rebel Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no information |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | no information | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | person/minister; political party |
| If link to party, name of party: | Zanu PF |
| Training and Equipment: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | no |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government; plunder and loot; military |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ideology; adolescents; former rebels; party activists |
| Primary Membership: | political |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | nationwide, inc. Harare, Bulawayo, Mashonaland, Murewa West |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, unknown] |
| Target(s): | civilians; unarmed political opposition, government critics; ethnic group; journalists |
| Purpose(s): | protect state, national or religious leader(s); intimidation of ethnic/religious groups; intimidation of civilians; intimidate political opposition |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | Europeans (Zimbabwe); Ndebele-Kalanga-(Tonga) (Zimbabwe) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | given |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | Europeans (Zimbabwe); Ndebele-Kalanga-(Tonga) (Zimbabwe) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | given |
Other Information
| Other Information: |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | Their main purpose is to intimidate opposition politicians and their supporters, not exclusively but especially at election time. The militia also took part in the invasion of white-owned farms in order to carry out Mugabe’s indigenisation drive. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | deniability of violence |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | During raids by the ZANU-PF militia, many civilians were assaulted and forced to flee their homes. The group operates with impunity. In one incident, the police refused to record a statement from victims. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | kidnapping/abductions; killing; beating; torture; sexual violence |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | no |
| Reasons for Membership: | no information |
| PGM Members Killed? | never |
PGM Size
| Size: | In one attack, witnesses reported more than 100 militia members. However, the overall number of members is likely to be much higher. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The group is armed with clubs, knives, machetes, sticks, guns and stones to attack and intimidate opposition supporters. They are said to be trained by the army in short training periods. The government provides them with weapons and transport. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | One source suggests that in 2011, the militia was led by local party leader Mike Gwasha. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.