▁Korean - tra ined ▁ 5 th ▁brig ade ▁killed ▁tens ▁of ▁thousands ▁of ▁civ ili ans ▁in ▁Mat abe le land . ▁ ▁By ▁early ▁ 1 9 8 4 , ▁the ▁army ▁dis rupted ▁food ▁supplies ▁in ▁Mat abe le land ▁and ▁much ▁of ▁the ▁N de be le ▁population ▁suffered ▁food ▁short ages . ▁Robert ▁M ug abe ▁and ▁Josh ua ▁N kom o ▁finally ▁recon ci led ▁their ▁political ▁differences ▁by ▁late ▁ 1 9 8 7 . ▁The ▁roots ▁of ▁disc ord ▁remained , ▁however , ▁and ▁in ▁some ▁ways ▁increased ▁as ▁M ug abe ' s ▁rule ▁became ▁increasing ly ▁aut ocr atic ▁into ▁the ▁ 2 1 st ▁century . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 9 0 s , ▁a ▁Land ▁Ac quisition ▁Act ▁was ▁passed , ▁calling ▁for ▁the ▁M ug abe ▁government ▁to ▁purchase ▁mostly ▁white - owned ▁commercial ▁far ming ▁land ▁for ▁red ist ribution ▁to ▁native ▁Afr icans . ▁Mat abe le land ▁has ▁rich ▁central ▁pla ins , ▁water ed ▁by ▁trib ut aries ▁of ▁the ▁Zam be zi ▁and ▁L imp opo ▁rivers , ▁allowing ▁it ▁to ▁sust ain ▁cattle ▁and ▁consist ently ▁produce ▁large ▁amounts ▁of ▁cot ton ▁and ▁ma ize . ▁But ▁land ▁gra bb ing , ▁squ atting , ▁and ▁repos s essions ▁of ▁large ▁white ▁far ms ▁under ▁M ug abe ' s ▁program ▁resulted ▁in ▁a ▁ 9 0 % ▁loss ▁in ▁product ivity ▁in ▁large - scale ▁far ming , ▁ever ▁higher