Zimbabwean Fifth Brigade The Fifth Brigade was an elite unit of specially trained Zimbabwean soldiers . The Fifth Brigade was formed in 1981 and disbanded in 1988 after allegations of brutality and murder during the Brigade ' s occupation of Matabeleland . It was reformed later and was active in 2006 at least . Training . In October 1980 , President Robert Mugabe signed an agreement with the North Korean President , Kim Il Sung , that they would train and equip a brigade for the Zimbabwe National Army . In August 1981 , 106 North Koreans arrived to train the new brigade . The members of the Fifth Brigade were drawn from 3500 ex - ZANLA troops , including two unintegrated ZANLA battalions , at Tongogara Assembly Point . There were a few ZIPRA troops in the unit initially , but they were withdrawn before the end of the training . It has been reported that there were also some foreigners in the unit , possibly Tanzanians . The training of Fifth Brigade lasted until September 1982 , when Minister Sekeramayi announced training was complete . Background . The first Commander of the Fifth Brigade was Colonel Perence Shiri . The Fifth Brigade was different from all other army units in that it was not integrated into the army . It was answerable only to the Prime Minister , and not to the normal army command structures . Their codes , uniforms , radios and equipment were not compatible with other army units . Their most distinguishing feature in the field was their red berets , although many reports note that on occasions Fifth Brigade soldiers would operate in civilian clothes . Mugabe was also responsible and ordered Sekeramayi to announce that the training was over . Fighting . Background . In the elections of February 1980 , Mugabe and his Zimbabwe African National Union ( ZANU ) won a landslide victory and Mugabe became Zimbabwe ' s second black prime minister ( after Abel Muzorewa ) . Mugabe , whose political support came from his Shona - speaking tribal homeland in the north , attempted to build Zimbabwe on a basis of an uneasy coalition with his Zimbabwe African People ' s Union ( ZAPU ) rivals , whose support came mostly from the Ndebele - speaking south , Matabeleland , and with whites . Mugabe sought to incorporate ZAPU into his ZANU – led government and ZAPU ' s military wing into the army ; and ZAPU ' s leader , Joshua Nkomo , was given a series of cabinet positions in Mugabe ' s government . However , the new prime minister was torn between this objective and pressures to meet the expectations of his own ZANU followers for a faster pace of social change . Around this time , ex - ZANLA and ZIPRA troops awaiting demobilization or integration into the new national army also clashed in Bulawayo and other areas . Sometimes these clashes had civilian casualties as some of the ex - guerilla units were stationed in cantonments adjacent to residential areas . An abortive ZAPU rebellion and discontent in Matabeleland spelled the end for this uneasy coalition . In 1982 Mugabe dismissed Nkomo from his cabinet , which triggered bitter fighting between ZAPU supporters in the Ndebele - speaking region of the country and the ruling ZANU . Civil war in the mid - 1980s . Between 1982 and 1985 the Fifth Brigade brutally crushed any resistance in Matabeleland . Over 20 , 000 civilians died and were buried in mass graves , during which many atrocities were committed . The intensity of their actions during the mid - 1980s is associated with a specific Zimbabwean word : Gukurahundi . This is most simply translated as " the rain which washes away the chaff before the spring rains . "