Chikumbi Camp massacre
Chikumbi Refugee Camp was bombed on 19 October 1978 by Ian Smith's Selous Scouts. The camp was located about 20 kilometers north of Lusaka and was described as a black nationalist guerrilla camp by the Smith regime.
1979 bombing
The Rhodesian military said the planes had attacked "the main controlling military headquarters" for operations of the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) led by Joshua Nkomo.[1]
The daring daylight raid, which occurred around 09:00 hours, is still indelibly etched in the minds of the locals who speak of death, horror and despondency as a posse of British Canberras and French Mirage jets made waves of attack using napalm, pellet bombs, 25 kilogramme pounder bombs and grenades before helicopters marked "Rhodesia Air Force" came in for the final assault using heavy machine guns with incendiary bullets, cutting the defenseless refugees into pieces.
Reports from the scene quoted witnesses as saying that two bombing runs left hundreds of dead and wounded. A steady stream of ambulances and trucks transported the wounded to Lusaka's main hospital late into the evening.[2]
Raids into ZIPRA camps in Zambia were carried out by specialized Rhodesian military units led by the notorious Green Leader, real name Chris Dixon, who openly ordered the Zambian airforce not to interfere with their operations or face similar action. If the Zambian airforce intervened, warned Green Leader, they would be wiped off the skies.
On the same day, Rhodesian fighters bombed Mkushi camp in Mkushi District located about 300km north of Lusaka. In this attack, more Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZPRA) fighters were killed. Other civilian casualties include prominent musician, broadcaster and freedom fighter Alick Nkhata.
See also
References
- ↑ Rhodesian Planes Strike Near Zambian Capital, Washington Post, 20 October 1978
- ↑ Rhodesia Bombs Base in Zambia; Hundreds of Casualties Reported, New York Times, 24 February 1979
