UNITED NATIONS: ZIMBABWE NATIONALIST LEADERS TELL DECOLONISATION COMMITTEE THAT THE RHODESIAN SITUATION CAN ONLY BE RESOLVED BY ARMED CONFLICT.

Record ID: 1062820

  • Title: UNITED NATIONS: ZIMBABWE NATIONALIST LEADERS TELL DECOLONISATION COMMITTEE THAT THE RHODESIAN SITUATION CAN ONLY BE RESOLVED BY ARMED CONFLICT.
  • Date: 24th April 1973
  • Summary: 1. GV Delegates seated 0.06 2. SV Mr. Mtambanengwe speaking 1.12 3. GV Delegates seated 1.15 4. SV Mr. Silundika speaking 2.29 MR. MTAMBANENGWE: "We now have got rifles firmly in our hands, never again to put them down. And we say let Westminster ring with denunciations of us as terrorists murdering innocent people, thus orchestrating the very hollow cries of their kith and kin the Ian Smith clique, who describe us in a similar vein. But all the name calling, all the vituperative denunciations of us as this or that, will not change or alter our resolve and determination to fight on until every inch of Zimbabwe is liberated. There is no going back. It is Ndabaningi Sithole, the man every Zimbabwean respects and follows and other leaders in detention with whom any meaningful talks will have to be made. I repeat: it is with out leaders, all our leaders in detention, with whom any meaningful talks will have to be made." MR. SILUNDIKA: "We all know that lives were lost by the score during the British-Rhodesian exercise. The direct message of it all is that we, the people of Zimbabwe, are resolved to fight for the restoration of our country and power to the Zimbabwe people. The Government of the United Kingdom, smarting under the people's defeat, has since launched a flimsy and transparent diplomacy of posturing to seek a "just" solution between the two irreconcilables: that is, the Zimbabwe people's demand for African majority rule and independence on the one hand, and the settler's resistance on minority rule and racism on the other hand. These two positions are mutually exclusive. Given the Smith draconian tactics against the African people, the situation can be resolved only by armed revolution on the part of the Zimbabweans." Initials ESP/1920 ESP/1929 A transcription of parts of their respective speeches follows: Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 8th May 1973 13:00
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  • Location: UNITED NATIONS
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  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVADCHWY5VUXHPB6SRGX5MWNQ76Y
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