North Zimbabwe (1983: Doomsday)

Zimbabwe is a landlocked African nation that had only acquired its independence in 1980. After Doomsday, Zimbabwe was slowly isolated from the outside war and became engulfed in civil war. Today, Zimbabwe is divided into two states: the Republic of Zimbabwe (North Zimbabwe) and the Federation of Zimbabwe (South Zimbabwe). Tensions remain high between the two nations who have never reconciled their post-Doomsday schism.

Pre-Doomsday
The first societies in Zimbabwe were formed after the Bantu migrations during the 9th century. In the following centuries, several significant civilizations would rise, including Great Zimbabwe from which modern Zimbabwe takes its name. The Kingdom of Zimbabwe was followed by the Kingdom of Mutapa, which was the first major civilization in the region to interact with the Europeans. After the collapse of Mutapa, the Rozwi Empire rose to power and drove the Portuguese from Zimbabwe, securing its independence for several centuries.

In the nineteenth century, the Mfecane destabilized the entire region as various tribes were forced to relocate. The Ndebele forced their way northward and conquered Zimbabwe from the declining Rozwi. During the Ndebele-era, the British began their encroachment into modern-day Zimbabwe. Led by the efforts of Cecil Rhodes's British South Africa Company, the British would slowly conquer the whole of Zimbabwe, which became the Southern Rhodesia colony in 1924.

After World War II, Africa was decolonizing, but Rhodesia fell under the rule of the white-minority Rhodesian Front. On November 11, 1965, Rhodesia declared its unilateral independence from Britain, which was only recognized by South Africa. A civil war between the Rhodesian Front and Joshua Nkomo's Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) and Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), using assistance from the governments of Zambia and Mozambique. In March 1978, the Rhodesian Front surrendered and the Internal Settlement established a multiracial democracy. Finally, Zimbabwe's independence was internationally recognized in 1980 with Robert Mugabe as its first president.

Doomsday
Since independence, the two major African political groups, the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) and Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), had come to blows several times. ZAPU was largely Ndebele and operated in Matabeleland. ZANU was largely Shona and operated in the rest of the country. The military wings of each group, Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) and Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA), fought each other during the Entumbane uprisings in November 1980 and February 1981. These uprisings led to the Gukurahundi (Shona: "the early rain which washes away the chaff before the spring rains") or the Matabeleland Massacres. Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, used the military, specifically the North Korean-trained 5th Brigade, to crush any resistance in Matabeleland. The Gukurahundi began in 1982, but was interrupted by Doomsday. Suddenly, most of the northern hemisphere was destroyed and along with it much of the world's trade and foreign aid. The disaster failed to halt the Gukurahundi, but it certainly caused great concern in Zimbabwe.

Civil War
After Doomsday, clashes between ZANU and ZAPU continued as Zimbabwe was slowly cut off from the rest of the world. Neighboring Mozambique was engulfed in a worsening civil war. To the south, South Africa slowly dissolved as the ANC, and other black nationalist movements, fought the collapsing apartheid government. Only Zambia to the north and to the west remained stable. The leader of the ZAPU, Joshua Nkomo, had fled to exile in London, and the ZAPU came to be led by Lookout Masuku and Dumiso Dabengwa. What began as fairly small clashes and a largely one-sided conflict expanded into a full blown civil war when ZIPRA launched full-scale assaults against government forces throughout Matabeleland in southwest Zimbabwe and largely withdrew from the Harare government in 1985. Despite the difficulty of resupply from the outside world, the ZANU-controlled Zimbabwe maintained the upper hand, thanks to its greater supplies and better trained forces, through 1987.

By 1987, lack of foreign resupply and struggling economy was taking a toll on the Zimbabwean government and enabled ZAPU to slowly gain the upper hand. In May 1987, ZIPRA forces were finally apply to expel the Zimbabwean National Army from northern Bulawayo, the de facto capital of Matabeleland. By mid-1988, ZANU-controlled forces were mostly evicted from Matabeleland North, except for the North and South Binga and Nkayi districts. ZIPRA was also able to gain control of Ndebele inhabited areas in the Mwenzi West district of Masvingo Province.

After four years of civil war, both sides were exhausted from fighting and were faced with major economic and food security issues. The fighting slowed to occasional raids and border clashes as a the border between the two sides became a reality. In the north, the ZANU-controlled, and largely Shona, Republic of Zimbabwe remained in control of a majority of the country. To the south, the ZAPU-controlled, and largely Nbedele, formed a parallel government in Bulawayo, the Federation of Zimbabwe. Commonly, the two countries came to be commonly known as North and South Zimbabwe.

Second Zimbabwean Civil War
The second round of fighting was sparked by the sudden assassination of President Mugabe of North Zimbabwe. North Zimbabwe immediately blamed the assassination on the South and began mobilizing against them. While the South continued to deny the allegations, they had also begun to mobilize their own forces. Clashes between the two forces began in November 1991, though no significant amounts of territory were exchanged. The two forces quickly reached a stalemate when every gain made by either side proved to be temporary. However, thanks to their superior numbers, North Zimbabwe was able to push the border back several kilometers on several fronts. After a year of fighting, a new border was established and active fighting slowly ended.

Demographics
North Zimbabwe has a population of 11.1 million people. Africans compose roughly 97% of the population in both countries. The remaining 4% of the population is composed of Asians and White Zimbabwean. White Zimbabweans compose 2.1% of the population. Before Doomsday, much of the White population had begun to leave the country after the rise of a black-majority government, but Doomsday forced the majority of the population to remain in the region.

Military
The North and South Zimbabwean militaries are organized along similar lines, but originate from two distinct sources. In the north, the Zimbabwean military, composed of the National Army and Air Force, grew from the pre-indepedence Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) and elements of the Rhodesian Security Forces located in North Zimbabwe. The South Zimbabwean military, composed of the Federation Army and Air Force, descended from the pre-indepedence Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) and elements of the Rhodesian Security Forces (RSA) located in South Zimbabwe. The Rhodesian Security Forces were a largely white military force that had yet to be fully incorporated into the new Zimbabwean state at the outbreak of the civil war. While Rhodesian soldiers stayed out of the conflict, their forces were split based on where they were geographically located.

Both nations are equipped with a variety of weaponry. Most of the remaining heavy weaponry originates from the RSA and pre-Doomsday sources. However, newer small arms have been imported through Mozambique and various South African states. The North and South Zimbabwean Air Forces are equipped with aging warplanes, which have been kept in relatively good condition. Several new gunships have been imported in recent years through Mozambique.

International Relations
North and South Zimbabwe have had tense relations ever since the end of the Zimbabwean Civil War in 1989. Immediately after the end of the war, a heavily defended border was formed between the two nations. Over the years, an increased number of fortifications have been built along the border in order to end. Despite the tension, trade and commerce has continued to exist between the two nations, though largely on a small and entirely privately-funded level. Tourism is one of the few industries that is free to cross the border at will, though tourists on both sides are subject to security checks. Relations between the two states have remained tension and a second round of fighting broke out in 1991 after the assasination of Robert Mugabe, which was blamed on the South. However, relations improved in 2010, when Morgan Tsvangirai, President of North Zimbabwe, issued an apology to the South for the Gukurahundi. While the apology led to a slight thaw in relations and revitalized trade between the two countries, strong tensions remain and a settlement between the two nations is not expected for some time.