skip to nav
Mugabe raises a new veteran army |
|
|
President Mugabe is establishing a reserve army to back up his regular force. The Government Gazette announced this week: "There is hereby established a reserve force of the army to be known as the War Veterans Reserve."
Recruitment is open to any man officially registered as a war veteran, and all would-be recruits have been told to report to their district army headquarters tomorrow. If accepted they will be armed, clothed and equipped as normal soldiers - and they'll benefit from army travel and medical expenses.
Those over 50 will be given light and administrative work. Those under 50 will be expected to undertake the normal duties of a soldier.
First response has been anger from Zimbabweans who know that any increase in armed military |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
Mugabe shows no signs of letting go with this further boost to his military might
|
| |
personnel means a corresponding increase in violent crime. Soldiers either commit robberies and car-jackings themselves or loan their weapons to criminals.
Yesterday's arrest of the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai illustrated how much Mugabe relies on the army to back police in his current crackdown on opposition activists. Troops were used to surround the MDC party headquarters.
The new force is seen as a sign that, despite renewed pressure from within his ruling Zanu-PF party and from other African nations, Mugabe has no intention of relinquishing control.
Today Mugabe is in Tanzania for the meeting of African heads of state, where South Africa's Thabo Mbeki is expected for the first time to urge him to quit - or at least to meet and talk with his Zimbabwean opposition. Mugabe is likely to tell
 |
|
|
|
News & Comment: News & Politics
