Mugabe recalls Zim troops from DRC
President Robert Mugabe is recalling thousands of soldiers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to help him fight a crucial presidential election in March next year, said officials on Thursday.
They said there would be no fresh troop deployments in the DRC and all Zimbabwean soldiers had also been barred from taking leave from now until after the conclusion of the presidential election.
The decision to recall some of Zimbabwe’s 10 000 troops stationed in the DRC comes barely a week after Mugabe started deploying troops in opposition strongholds in Zimbabwe’s southern provinces to protect his supporters from “terrorism”.
Ministry of Defence officials, interviewed on condition of anonymity, said there would be no fresh troop deployments in the DRC as the soldiers were needed at home to help Zanu-PF win the election. “The president has indicated he needs the entire army for the forthcoming election.
We are therefore recalling most of the soldiers but they will be sent back,” said an official. All efforts failed to get official comment from the Zimbabwean army spokesperson Mbonisi Gatsheni.
Meanwhile, violence broke out in Zimbabwe’s high density suburb of Budiriro on Wednesday when dozens of young people on the government’s controversial national youth service programme descended on the suburb and started attacking and harassing residents.
Reports said the youths, clad in their military fatigues and patrolling several Harare suburbs ostensibly on a “clean up campaign” arrived at Budiriro shopping centre in a bus and started forcing everyone in sight to sweep. They viciously assaulted anyone who refused to comply. Angry residents retaliated by throwing stones at them.
Posted by Wellington Chadehumbe
on December 21, 2001. Filed under Politics.
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