Zimbabwe War (A Very, Very Different World)

Zimbabwe War
Robert Mugabe, president of Zimbabwe who was bent on conquering South Africa
Date 30 March, 2012-16 October, 2014 Location South Africa, Zimbabwe Result Commonwealth victory
Belligerents
Commonwealth of Nations Zambia Malawi South Africa New Zealand United Kingdom	Zimbabwe Mozambique
Commanders and leaders
Pieter Mulder Pieter Groenewald W.W. Kinghorn John Key Nick Houghton	Robert Mugabe Emmerson Mnangagwa Phelekezela Mphoko Filipe Nyusi Alberto Vaquina
Strength
490,000	97,000
Casualties and losses
21,144 died (7,894 in combat and 13,250 died of disease); 934 missing; 22,828 wounded	9,098 died (4,000 in combat) (24,000 prisoners sent overseas)

The Zimbabwe War was a conflict fought in Southern Africa from 2012 to 2014 between Zimbabwe and her ally Mozambique against the Commonwealth of Nations. Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe had want to conquer neighboring states Zambia and South Africa as he saw them as “weak” (Zambia) and “too white” (South Africa) and he wanted to implant a North Korean style of Juche and black supremacy. Tensions had been high between the Commonwealth and Zimbabwe since the gained independence in 1980. When Nelson Mandela was elected in 1994, Mugabe made a statement hoping that Mandela would “liberate South Africa from the whites”. Considering the country’s white majority, relations between South Africa and Zimbabwe were strained.

From 2008 to 2011, the Zimbabwe military underwent a series of war games and simulations and rearmed for war. South Africa also rearmed in fear of invasion. On March 30, 2012, the Zimbabwe army crossed the South African border and lay siege to the then recently built military complex of Fort Botha. The siege lasted for nearly three months and the Commonwealth declared war. Until 26 February, 2013, both sides fought a stalemate along the border of South Africa and Zimbabwe (Border Campaign) and the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia (Zambezi Campaign). The stalemate broke when Zimbabwe failed to capture Zambia and South Africa and in June 2013 the Commonwealth invades Zimbabwe. Commonwealth forces captured Harare in March 2014 and the Zimbabwean army fought a guerrilla war until October of that year.

Robert Mugabe was captured and executed after the wars end, marking an end to his reign of terror. The country saw democratic change and the start of new reforms and a new regime.