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The Citizen - The People's Independent Weekly Newspaper - Gweru
April 28 - May 11

CONCERNS AS TROOPS ROLL INTO ABANDONED GUINEA FOWL CAMP

Staff Reporter

Increased movement of troops in the city in recent days has left many curious Gweru residents wondering whether the Zimbabwe national army is mobilising for war.

Residents who contacted "The Citizen" raised concern about the increased military activity in the city during the last few days.

Over the Easter holidays armoured trucks and warfare tankers were seen in large numbers carting through Gweru's Central Business District.  Army lorries were also seen carrying large numbers of military personnel.

"We are scared about all the army activity we are seeing in the streets these days, it seems as if our army is mobilising for war", said an anxious Indian businessman.

Another factor contributing to the people's anxiety is the recent reopening of the former 6 Brigade HQ at Guinea Fowl which has not been in use since the brigade was disbanded a few years ago.

The barrack which resembled a ghost town, sprang to life last week as soldiers could be seen marching and singing every morning.  Some of the soldiers are ferried in lorries to the Zimbabwe Military Academy every morning.

There has also been increased aircraft activity in the normally quiet Gweru skies by aircraft from the Airforce of Zimbabwe.

Thornhill Airbase, Base Commander, Biltim Chingono dismissed the claims and said that Thornhill airbase was a training bas and the airforce were carrying out routine exercises.

"We need to make sure that our equipment is up to date and in perfect working condition, we also train pilots at this base but on other days we fail to send them up into the air because of bad weather conditions".

"Trainee pilots lost flying hours during the rainy season and so the increased day and night activity in the skies is meant to make up for lost hours.  We are not mobilising for any war". said Chingono.

Efforts to obtain comment from the Zimbabwe Military Academy on why the former Six Brigade HQ at Guinea Fowl was reopened and why the increased army activity in the city proved fruitless at the time of going to press.

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Zimbabwe Plans to Withdraw Troops from Congo

HARARE (May 9) XINHUA - The Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) said on Tuesday it has drafted plans to pull out of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

ZNA spokesman Charles Mugari told the Zimbabwe News Agency that the phased withdrawal would depend on the assessment of the situation in the country.

"Plans to pull out are already there. We are waiting for the U.N. observer mission to inform us on when we will start pulling out. The pulling out will depend on the situation," said Mugari.

About 100 U.N. peacekeepers are expected in the DRC next week to begin setting up three of four bases for the 5,500 U.N. troops due to be deployed in the country.

The three bases are to be established in Mbandaka in the northwest, Kisangani in the northeast and Katanga in the south.

The fourth base will be established in the southeast of the country.

A U.N. Security Council delegation touring the countries involved in the DRC conflict signed the Stationing of Foreign Troops Agreement over the weekend to allow the immediate deployment of troops and observers.

Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia intervened in the DRC civil war in August 1998 to help DRC President Laurent Kabila's army fight rebels aided by Rwanda and Uganda.

The U.N. has been blamed for dragging its feet on the planned deployment of 5,500 peacekeeping force in the third largest African country to monitor the ceasefire agreement signed last year in Lusaka by all warring parties.

There have been fears that there could be further delays as governments contributing peacekeepers might demand concrete proof of safety in the wake of the kidnapping of more than 300 U.N. peacekeepers by Sierra Leone rebels last week.

Copyright XINHUA NEWS AGENCY

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The Citizen - The People's Independent Weekly Newspaper - Gweru
April 28 - May 11

Dear Editor - I would like to thank you for your publication that seem to remember that we also need newspapers in the rural areas.  Down here in Vungu we are surprised to hear that there are plans to resettle the people again after the land bill was successfully passed before dissolving of Parliament.
Vungu folk remember sometime when resettlement officers visited us and wasted a lot of our time telling us that we were going to be resettled on farms.
True the farms were acquired we noticed that but when it came to resettlement none of us Vungu folk  were considered.  Instead the farms, most of them were bought by people from Harare and elsewhere.  Why didn't the government give us Vungu people first preference?  We would have loved to buy farms in our home area.  Does the government think that we have forgotten.
In our culture there is a saying that goes something like.  The axe that cuts tree will forget but the tree that was cut will never forget.
We the people of Vungu shall never forget the way the issue of the farms was handled in our area.
Sick and tired
VUNGU
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