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http://www.africanews.org/central/congo-kinshasa/stories/19981225_feat1.html
ZNA To Deploy 6 000 To DRC
December 25, 1998
Harare - The Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) will in the next two months deploy
about 6 000 soldiers to the Democratic Republic of Congo to replace troops who
have been fighting there for the past four months, the Zimbabwe Independent
learnt this week.
Military sources said the army was already gearing itself for the massive rotation programme which will be done in phases to avoid disrupting the war effort on the eastern front. Rebels are defying the odds and frustrating the allied powers who have been claiming endless victories in their "mopping up" campaign.
It is understood the current massive training of soldiers in the country was meant to complement troops who were on standby for the exercise set to begin next month. Last week the Independent reported that about three battalions, made up of 1 000 men each, were being trained at Mbalabala near Esigodini, Imbizo Barracks in Bulawayo, and the Battle School in Nyanga. Another 105 soldiers are currently training at Inkomo Barracks, 2 Mechanised battalion. These are preparing to operate armoured vehicles in the DRC.
An armoured car usually needs two soldiers to operate - a driver and a gunner.
Further recruitment of young men aged between 18 and 25 was said to have been
going on across the country.
"We are training a thousand soldiers who should be ready for deployment in the next two months," said a source adding that "we have lost many fighters. Most of them started training on November 23 and will be finishing by the end of February. The majority of these are in infantry battalions because we do not need many armoured vehicles. It's very strong and more reliable than those helicopters and fighters."
New deployments will go to the eastern front where Kabila's FAC forces, Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia as well as Chad and Sudan are battling to overcome rebels who are backed by Rwanda and Uganda.
As part of the impending rotation procedure, soldiers at home were denied the usual two weeks for Christmas and New Year holidays. Instead, they were told that they could at most be given seven days to go on holiday.
The new deployment exercise comes in the wake of reports of growing indiscipline among Zimbabwean soldiers in the DRC. The Independent reported last week that five senior officers have so far been court-martialled and cashiered for indiscipline and trying to incite mutiny among troops serving in the DRC. Last Friday, acting Defence minister Sydney Sekeramayi denied the report saying no court-martials had been held.
The rotation of troops also comes against a backdrop of rising casualties for Zimbabwe. Sekeramayi said 26 soldiers had died so far although RCD rebels have claimed as many as 45. Neither ZNA spokesman Col. Chancellor Diye nor Lt. Col. Ben Ncube could be reached for comment this week.
Asked about the Independent's report that the government had ordered 12 F7
fighter planes from China, Sekeramayi said: "Every country - every defence force
buys equipment. There is no reason why anybody should want to question why
Zimbabwe should be buying equipment at this time." Correction: In our report on
court-martials last week we referred to 2 Brigade Infantry Battallion. This
should have read 2 Infantry Brigade.
Copyright © 1998 Zimbabwe Independent. Distributed via Africa News Online (www.africanews.org). For information about the content or for permission to redistribute, publish or use for broadcast, contact Zimbabwe Independent at the link above.