The Gukurahundi was a series of massacres Killing of Ndebele civilians carried out Action by the Zimbabwe National Army from early 1983 to late 1987 .

ZANU recruited Becoming_a_member mainly from the majority Shona people , whereas ZAPU had its greatest support Supporting among the minority Ndebele .

In early 1983 , the North Korean-trained Fifth Brigade , an infantry brigade of the Zimbabwe National Army ( ZNA ) , began Process_start a crackdown on dissidents in Matabeleland North , one of the homelands of the Ndebele .