As can be seen in Table 1,
Zimbabwe ranks first as the most Table 1: Frequency of violence reports, 1997 to1 2014
[Source: ACLED database.2015]
violent of the countries governed by
Total
% of total
former liberation movements. All
No.
of
five countries were the subject of
Reports
3001
21.8%
Angola
anti-colonial wars, and both Angola
561
4.1%
Mozambique
and Mozambique had subsequent
573
4.2%
Namibia
bitter civil wars. Zimbabwe arguably
4540
33.0%
South Africa
was similar, but it might be difficult
5075
36.9%
Zimbabwe
to describe the post-independence
violence of the 1980s as civil war.
Zimbabwe is seen as the most violent by total amount of reported incidents, and it should be
pointed out here that the reports for Zimbabwe are of a wholly different character to those
from the other four countries. The data for Zimbabwe is derived in the vast majority (more
than 70%) from reports produced by human rights organisations, mostly by direct testimony
and often accompanied by medical reports (RAU. 2016). For the other four countries, the
majority of the reports are gleaned from the press and media, or international organisations.
Thus, the assertion that Zimbabwe is violent is empirically-grounded, but it is the pattern that
also sets Zimbabwe apart from its liberation party neighbours.
Table 2: Frequency of violence types in Zimbabwe, 1998
to 2018
[Source: ACLED database]
No. of
% of
events
total
4216
71.9
Violence against civilians
367
6.3
Strategic development2
1047
17.9
Riots
15
0.3
Remote violence3
3
0.1
Non-violent transfer of territory4
128
2.2
Base5
85
1.5
Battle (no change of territory)6
As can be seen from Table 2, the vast
majority of the violence is directed at
civilians, with riots coming a very
distant second. All other forms of
violence are largely insignificant, as
might be expected of a country that is
ostensibly at peace.
1
Reported in RAU (2016), Are former liberation movements inherently violent as governments? February 2016.
Harare: Research & Advocacy Unit.
2
Contextually important information regarding the activities of violent groups that is not itself political
violence. For example: recruitment drives, looting, incursions, and rallies qualify for inclusion.
3
Events where engaging in conflict did not require the physical presence of the perpetrator. The main
characteristic of this event is when a group determines the time, place, and victims of the attack, but is not
directly present.
4
Situations in which rebels, governments, or affiliates of both acquire control of a location without engaging in
a violent act.
5
A violent group establishes a permanent or semi-permanent base or headquarters. This event is not violent.
6
A battle between two violent armed groups where control of the contested location does not change.
3