Zimbabwe withdrawal on hold pending MONUC deployment

The ongoing withdrawal of Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) troops from the DRC has been suspended pending the deployment of peacekeeping troops by the UN mission in DRC (MONUC) to areas vacated by the warring parties, the ‘Financial Gazette’ newspaper reported ZNA Colonel Mbonisi Gatsheni as saying this week. Gatsheni said that about 4,000 Zimbabwean troops from three battalions have withdrawn from the DRC since April. The ZNA is believed to have had at least 12,000 troops in the DRC since August 1998 fighting to support the government of late president Laurent-Desire Kabila against rebels supported by Rwanda and Uganda, the ‘Financial Gazette’ stated. It also noted that the ZNA, who had been expected to help the late Kabila and quickly return home, became mired in the conflict, dubbed “Africa’s first world war”. Forces from Angola and Namibia joined Zimbabwe in mobilising support for Kabila. ZNA involvement in the DRC conflict has been widely cited as contributing to deteriorating political and economic conditions in Zimbabwe.