What was the name of the ANC’s armed wing founded in 1961 by Nelson Mandela and others?

The ANC’s armed wing founded in 1961 by Nelson Mandela and others was Umkhonto we Sizwe.

Umkhonto we Sizwe means “Spear of the Nation” in Xhosa and Zulu. It was established in December 1961 after the Sharpeville massacre and the banning of the African National Congress. Mandela helped launch the organization with members of the ANC and the South African Communist Party.

Its initial campaign focused on sabotage against government infrastructure, with the stated aim of avoiding loss of life. The organization argued that peaceful protest had been severely restricted by apartheid laws and police repression. Mandela became its first commander in chief and later received military training outside South Africa.

Umkhonto we Sizwe is often abbreviated as MK. It should not be confused with the ANC itself, the Congress of South African Trade Unions, or the Black Consciousness Movement. MK was formally integrated into South Africa’s new national defense structures after the democratic transition.