The Rhodesian War

Odin & Aesop

Rhodesia, now called the Republic of Zimbabwe, used to be a self-governing British colony. In November 1965, the Cabinet of Rhodesia unilaterally declared independence from Britain in an effort to preserve white minority rule. The Rhodesian Bush War, also known as the Rhodesian Civil War, followed. It lasted until December 1979. This protracted guerilla war pitted Rhodesia’s globally isolated government against the African nationalist Zimbabwe African Nationalist Union (ZANU) and Zimbabwe African People’s Union. Eventually ZANU prevailed and its leader, Robert Mugabe, was elected Prime Minister in February 1980. Paul Moorcraft and Peter MacLaughlin tell the story in “The Rhodesian War Fifty Years On”.