Sekeramayi defends troop deployment

By Xolisani Ncube

HARARE – Defence minister Sydney Sekeramayi has defended government’s decision to deploy military personnel to Equatorial Guinea saying parliament had no role to play in the circumstances.

Responding to a question from MDC-T Senator Watchy Sibanda, who wanted to know who authorised military service personnel deployment to Equatorial Guinea to assist in the provision of VIP security during the on-going African Cup of Nations (Afcon tournament) Sekeramayi said, the deployment to the West Africa nation was at the invitation of that country and not for war.

“Madam president, let me take this opportunity to explain what happed and clear the question asked by the honourable member. Our soldiers and other security services were judged to be the best to provide security and be able to deal with violence. Their deployment was an invitation with all the costs being taken care of by the host nation (sic),” Sekeramayi said.

Zimbabwe, at the start of Afcon, deployed soldiers, police and intelligence officers to Malabo to provide security during the on-going Afcon.

President Robert Mugabe is a strong ally of Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

But the decision to send the troops to Equatorial Guinea has attracted criticism from the opposition who believe they are putting the country’s interests and security machinery at risk as the move demanded “parliamentary approval”.

“We are not going to war; I repeat we did not send our troops to war but to assist an AU member with security and this does not need your (parliament) intervention,” he said

This is not the first time that such a question has been asked in parliament. On Wednesday, MDC-T MP for Harare West, Jessie Majome posed the same question to the acting leader of government business in the National Assembly, Lazarus Dokora, who requested that she put her question in writing for an answer from Sekeramayi.

Presidents Mugabe and Nguema became close allies in 2004 when Zimbabwean security details intercepted mercenaries en route to Equatorial Guinea where they had plotted a coup d’état.

In the early part of the last decade there was an outcry from the opposition after President Mugabe deployed Zimbabwean soldiers to Democratic Republic of the Congo to help then leader Laurent Kabila fend off an incursion.

Kabila was eventually assassinated but critics now trace the genesis of Zimbabwe’s decade and half-long economic crisis to the Congo debacle. The Zimbabwe Mail