Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) was the armed wing of the Zimbabwe African People's Union, a political party in Rhodesia. It participated in the Second Chimurenga against white minority rule in the former Rhodesia.
ZIPRA was formed during the 1960s by the nationalist leader Jason Moyo, the deputy of Joshua Nkomo. Because ZAPU's political strategy relied more heavily on negotiations than armed force, ZIPRA developed as elaborately training both regular soldiers and guerrilla fighters ZANLA, although by 1979 it had an estimated 20,000 combatants, based in camps around Lusaka, Zambia and at the front. ZIPRA's crossing points into Zimbabwe were at Feira in Zambia opposite Mashonaland East and west. For example, the operational boundary was Sipolilo where ZIPRA, ZANLA and Rhodesian forces clashed. ZIPRA operated alone in Mashonaland west. There was no ZANLA in that area. ZIPRA ranks were predominantly northern Ndebele people. Beside the overall political ideologies, the main differences between ZIPRA and ZANLA were that:
- ZIPRA did not follow ZANLA's ideology (inspired by Maoism) but followed Soviet Marxist Leninist principles and enjoyed close relationship with local peasant populations. For example, ZIPRA forces in Mashonaland west were never sold out by the population because they respected locals and their culture.
- ZIPRA controlled liberated zones from Sipolilo to Plumtree. The enemy forces could not venture out of the keep in Kazangarare for instance.. ZIPRA had some of its forces who served in the new Zimbabwe national government like Philip Valerio Sibanda, Tshinga Dube Roy Reagen Ndlovu and Eddie Sigoge who was arrested in the 1980s.
ZIPRA was in formal alliance with Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) the ANC's militant wing. ZIPRA and MK mounted a celebrated (if militarily unsuccessful) mission in Southern Rhodesia in the mid-1960s.
During the Rhodesian Bush War the number of civilian deaths ZANLA and ZIPRA were estimated to be responsible for, was 19,000 dead.
In 1978 and 1979 ZIPRA downed two civilian passenger planes of Air Rhodesia, killing a total of 102 passengers and crew.
See also: Air Rhodesia Flight 825 and Air Rhodesia Flight 827Read more about Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army: Air Rhodesia Flight 825
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