Talks between Nkomo and Prime Minister Ian Smith , which had been progressing promisingly , were immediately suspended by the furious Rhodesians , with Smith calling Nkomo a " monster " . On 10 September , Smith announced the extension of martial law over selected areas . The Rhodesian Security Forces launched several retaliatory strikes into Zambia and Mozambique over the following months , attacking both ZIPRA and its rival , the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army ( ZANLA ) . The attack on ZIPRA in particular brought great controversy as many of those killed were refugees camping in and around guerrilla positions . Five months later , in February 1979 , ZIPRA shot down Air Rhodesia Flight 827 , another civilian flight , in an almost identical incident .