Zwartheid, officially the Free Republic of Zwartheid, was a country in Africa. It is located between Ethiopia and Kenya, just along the northern border of Azania and east of the technologically advanced nation of Wakanda.
Sometimes known as the "worst country on Earth", Zwartheid was rated last in quality of life globally by the United Nations, with an average life expectancy of just thirty-seven years.[1]
History
Zwartheid's richness in diamonds made it a "killing ground" for the various western colonial powers. After over a century, the nation's various warring tribes were brought briefly together by President Mayamba; after he was deposed, however, the nation fell into another decade of brutal civil war, in which thousands were tortured, with children enlisted into armies and men were amputated of limbs to prevent them from fighting back.
Mayamba's return allowed warlords and diamond merchants to begin communicating again; according to the warlord Lago, however, western corporations continued to treat the natives as modern-day slaves, and he organized a rebellion against Mayamba's government, poisoning the president. King T'Challa of Wakanda, though easily capable of invading, was sworn by a chief's vow not to interfere with his sovereign neighbors, and instead recruited Wolverine of the Avengers to the task of rescuing Mayamba's daughter over the border, in the hope that she might return in her adulthood to attempt reunification once more. Wolverine killed Lago in the process of their escape, causing Lago's men to momentarily put down their arms, once more bringing the prospect of peace to Zwartheid.[1]Residents
- General Lago
- President Mayamba