Opinion: Nelson Mandela's Prison Release Speaks to Complex Legacy
Mandela's freedom was a beacon of hope, but it could not stop African violence and war.
For them, the release of Mandela—who died Thursday at the age of 95—did not bring an end to violence.
But it was one giant step toward a dream of liberty that had so far eluded not only the majority of South Africans but also millions whose governments had allied as Frontline States against the apartheid regime. (Read "Mandela's Children" in National Geographic magazine.)
To a greater or lesser degree, all the Frontline States countries—Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe—harbored political and military operatives for the African National Congress (ANC), the main opposition to the National Party in South Africa.
Zambia's current high commissioner to London, Lt. Col. Bizwayo Nkunika, who started his career in the Zambia Defense Force in
