Thread by @Wamagaisa

Understanding Pseudo-operations in politics

1. Dealing with an authoritarian regime is tricky business. In war, there’s a thing called pseudo operations. This is where the army creates teams that are disguised as guerrillas in order to penetrate guerrilla-controlled units.

2. Pseudo-operators pretend to be guerrillas. People unwittingly accept them as “our own”. But they gather intelligence. They might do damage which is attributed to the side they are pretending to be. The Selous Scouts were masters at this during the 1970s liberation war.

3. Some of the most devastating massacres, such as Nyadzon’a were a result of these counterinsurgency operations led by pseudo operators. Some pseudo operators were “turned guerrillas” the most infamous of them being Morrison Nyathi. Pseudo operations didn’t stop after the war.

4. They were used during #Gukurahundi in the 1980s as some military units were organised as pseudo-dissidents. They dressed like dissidents & collected intelligence or did despicable damage as dissidents which was then used to justify formal state operations & restrictions.

5. These military-style operations are also used in politics. It’s not pseudo-dissidents anymore but pseudo-opposition and pseudo-civil society activists. They operate in the public spaces where everyone is, even attacking & challenging the regime until they gain your trust.

6. They become part of the pro-democracy movement. But one day they just disappear and you wonder what happened to him or her? Was he or she not one of us? He or she was a pseudo-opposition member. They were on a mission. Some of them are so quiet you will never know them.

7. There pseudo operators on social media. They sow divisions. They cause fights. If they see you as a potential threat, they attack you in the name of the opposition. And you say why are my comrades attacking me? You have probably encountered this. They are not your comrades!

8. Sometimes there’s a genuine conflict within the opposition as there was between ZANLA & ZIPRA during the war. The pseudo operators take advantage of that and might back one over the other to intensify the rift. Watch them “like”, “retweet” & comment on incendiary tweets.

9. Moral of the thread: Be vigilant . Some friends and associates aren’t who they seem to be. Be sure whom you’re sharing information with. They might even offer you first. True, it’s sad to have to live this way but authoritarian terrain is like walking in a field of landmines.

10. You have to develop a smart antenna. Pick signals. Protect yourself at all times. There are few things worse than realising you let someone betray you because you trusted them. It happens to all of us. But at least know that there are pseudo operators out there.