Pro-Government Militias
War Vets (Zimbabwe)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 104 |
| Country: | Zimbabwe |
| Date formed: | April 21, 2000 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA), commonly known as ‘war vets’, was formed in April 1989 by disgruntled former combatants who served during the Rhodesian Bush War (1964-1979). During the war, guerrillas and their supporters were promised to receive land expropriated from the country’s white minority in the event of a victory. However, significant land reform failed to take place immediately after the war. They are now dependent on funding and support from Zimbabwe’s ruling party ZANU-PF (Wikipedia). Although they have been active on and off before 2000, it was in that year when Mugabe started his land redistribution that the War Vets became a pro-government militia. |
| 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): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | yes |
| Former Armed Group? | yes |
| Former Rebel Group? | yes |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | 492, 493 |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | yes | Main Creating Government Institution: | governing party; state (institution) |
| 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: | unclear |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government; plunder and loot |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | former rebels |
| Primary Membership: | noncivilian |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | nationwide, but mainly rural |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, 12000] |
| Target(s): | civilians; unarmed political opposition, government critics; ethnic group |
| Purpose(s): | intimidation of ethnic/religious groups; intimidate political opposition |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | Europeans (Zimbabwe) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | inferred |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | Europeans (Zimbabwe) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | given |
Other Information
| Other Information: |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | Starting in 2000, members of the War Vets acted as leaders of the invasions of white owned commercial farms with tacit approval from Mugabe’s government. In all elections since 2000, the War Vets have spearheaded election campaigns for ZANU-PF. The group became instrumental for the ruling party in suppressing the opposition through harassment, intimidation and violence (Wikipedia). War Vets took control over police stations in several villages where they detained and harassed opposition supporters. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | During farm invasions that aimed at expropriation, War Vets killed and assaulted farmers as well as MDC supporters. Police inertia followed reported instances of violence and murder on the farms. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | kidnapping/abductions; killing; beating; sexual violence |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no |
| PGM Members Paid? | unclear |
| Reasons for Membership: | |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | The overall membership in the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association is approximately 30,000 (Wikipedia). However, reports suggest that merely 12,000 are deployed in order to support Mugabe’s government. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The group carried AK-47 assault rifles and other automatic weapons during farm invasions. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | Former leaders of the War Vets include John Gwitira (1989-1997), Chenjerai Hunzvi (1997-2001) and Jabulani Sibanda (2001-2014). Christopher Mutsvangwa is chairman of the group since November 2014 (Wikipedia). |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.