Mike, this is a pathetic attempt to white wash the atrocities carried out by the (ZIPRA and ZANLA) insurgents against the civilian population during the Rhodesian War. It may be worth some discussion from a legalistic PoV but nothing else.

There was an almost universal paranoia amongst the insurgents about spies and informers in the population and as a result many were killed in front of gathered groups of villages in the most brutal manner - to send a message to the people of what will happen to sell-outs. To state that all claims by security forces of insurgent atrocities were propaganda not merely wrong but dishonest.

My question (like when that Dutch boy's garbage was published in MR) is how did this trash pass editorial review?


Quote Originally Posted by jmm99 View Post
This article (appearing in the SWJ Blog, as I write), Drawing Lessons from Zimbabwe's War of Liberation (by Jephias Andrew Dzimbanhete; Journal Article, December 10, 2013), does exactly that - all stops are pulled.

The author's conclusion is relatively restrained given the body's overall content (snip):



Of course, under the 1977 APs to the GCs, "freedom fighters" were exempted from a number of the Laws of War. Consistent with the proponents of the 1977 APs, the author now introduces "freedom violence" as a protected category.

The article is certainly timely - Nelson Mandela's funeral and all. And, it takes one back to the 60s and 70s.

Regards

Mike