warlord, noun

Origin:
EnglishShow more Transferred sense of general English warlord a military commander; in China, a military commander ruling a region independently of the government.
The leader of an armed group of men who, through the use of force, control an area, especially a section of a township or an informal urban settlement, dictating the (political) activities of the inhabitants of the area, and demanding rent and service.
1989 Gqubule & Koch in Weekly Mail 5 May 6At Inanda on the outskirts of Durban, Inkatha ‘warlords’ are now fighting each other for control over the shanty towns of the region.
1990 M. Kentridge Unofficial War 9Vigilante leaders are drawn from a variety of sources...These Inkatha leaders are known as warlords because they command armies of men and exact allegiance and obedience on roughly feudal lines: in return for military loyalty the warlords provide their men with money, food, drink and some political assistance such as the granting of licences and the favourable allocation of land.
1991 P. Storey in Star 1 Nov. 13The IFP could nail a couple of the warlords who are walking free, boasting of the murders they have committed, and hand them over to justice.
1993 Weekly Mail & Guardian 13 Aug. 9Even though he leads the IFP southern Natal delegation..he has a reputation of being a ‘warlord’ and his commitment to peace has been frequently questioned.
The leader of an armed group of men who, through the use of force, control an area, especially a section of a township or an informal urban settlement, dictating the (political) activities of the inhabitants of the area, and demanding rent and service.
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ware, adjectiveadj.War of the Axe, noun phrasen. phr.
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