Zimbabwe:

The colony of Southern Rhodesia declared its independence on the 11th of September 1965, though this was not recognized by the United Kingdom. International and political pressure and a guerrilla uprising led to full independence being granted on the 18th of April 1980 with Robert Mugabe as the country’s first Prime Minister. He became president in 1987 and remained as the country’s sole president winning the 2002 elections regarded by many international observers as widely flawed.

There were also many reports of opposition candidates and supporters being harassed, detained or being beaten up. President Mugabe is seen by many as one of the most controversial leaders of the 21st Century. One of his most notably acts is the land reforms which began in 2000. The reforms were aimed at redistributing land obtained from the mainly white farmers to indigenous Zimbabweans. This was widely condemned by the international community and resulted in food shortages which further hurt the ailing Zimbabwean economy.