Lancaster House Agreement

Lancaster House Agreement
	Bishop Abel Muzorewa signs the Lancaster House Agreement seated next to British Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington.
Signed	21 December 1979
Location	Lancaster House in London
Signatories	Lord Carrington, Sir Ian Gilmour, Bishop Abel Muzorewa, Dr Silas Mundawarara, Joshua Nkomo and Robert Mugabe
Parties	United Kingdom Zimbabwe Rhodesia ZANU–PF
Language	English

The Lancaster House Agreement refers to an agreement signed on 21 December 1979 in Lancaster House, following the conclusion of a constitutional conference where different parties discussed the future of Zimbabwe Rhodesia, formerly known as Rhodesia.^[1]^[2] The agreement effectively concluded the Rhodesian Bush War. It also marked the nullification of Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence, as British colonial authority was to be restored for a transition period, during which free elections under supervision by the British government would take place. Crucially, ZANU and ZAPU, the political wings of ZANLA and ZIPRA (who had been waging an escalating insurgency since 1964) would be permitted to stand candidates in the forthcoming elections. This was however conditional to compliance with the ceasefire and the verified absence of voter intimidation.^[3]^[4]

^ Magaisa, Alex (12 April 2016). "BSR: Zimbabwe and Lancaster House's faulty foundations". Big Saturday Read. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
^ McGreal, Chris (16 January 2002). "The trail from Lancaster House". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
^ Independence of Zimbabwe (PDF) (Report). National Archives of Australia. 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
^ Muronzi, Chris (10 September 2022). "Remembering Queen Elizabeth II in Zimbabwe". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.

[1] Magaisa, Alex (12 April 2016). "BSR: Zimbabwe and Lancaster House's faulty foundations". Big Saturday Read. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.

[2] McGreal, Chris (16 January 2002). "The trail from Lancaster House". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.

[3] Independence of Zimbabwe (PDF) (Report). National Archives of Australia. 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2023.

[4] Muronzi, Chris (10 September 2022). "Remembering Queen Elizabeth II in Zimbabwe". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.

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