Zimbabwe will start hearings about deadly attacks from the 1980s on June 26. President Emmerson Mnangagwa set up a group of traditional chiefs to listen to survivors. The hearings will focus on helping victims tell their stories. Chief Fortune Charumbira announced the plan at a news conference Sunday. The meetings will happen behind closed doors because the stories are very personal.
Former leader Robert Mugabe sent soldiers to kill people during the 1980s. Government troops murdered about 20,000 people over several years. Most victims came from the Ndebele group of people. The killings happened after Zimbabwe became independent from Britain. Mugabe called the operation Gukurahundi, which means washing away unwanted things.
The government used North Korean-trained soldiers to stop a rebellion. These troops attacked people who supported Joshua Nkomo, Mugabe's political enemy. The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace counted the deaths. Amnesty International agreed with their numbers. Mugabe never said sorry for the massacres before he died.
Some activists think the hearings are fake. They say the government should apologize first. Activist Mbuso Fuzwayo calls the process a trick. He believes the same people who caused the violence are running the hearings. Mnangagwa was security minister during the killings but denies he did anything wrong.
Former leader Robert Mugabe sent soldiers to kill people during the 1980s. Government troops murdered about 20,000 people over several years. Most victims came from the Ndebele group of people. The killings happened after Zimbabwe became independent from Britain. Mugabe called the operation Gukurahundi, which means washing away unwanted things.
The government used North Korean-trained soldiers to stop a rebellion. These troops attacked people who supported Joshua Nkomo, Mugabe's political enemy. The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace counted the deaths. Amnesty International agreed with their numbers. Mugabe never said sorry for the massacres before he died.
Some activists think the hearings are fake. They say the government should apologize first. Activist Mbuso Fuzwayo calls the process a trick. He believes the same people who caused the violence are running the hearings. Mnangagwa was security minister during the killings but denies he did anything wrong.
