Britain funds Zim military
The British government has been funding activities of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) during the past 12 months despite strained relations between London and Harare, it has emerged.
The revelations were made by British Under-Secretary for Defence Andrew Robathan while responding to an enquiry from an MP in the House of Commons last week.
But the British embassy in Harare denied London was directly funding ZDF programmes in Zimbabwe.
Keith Scott, the embassy’s political and communications first secretary, said:
“The United Kingdom does not fund the Zimbabwe military. The British Ministry of Defence (MoD)’s involvement in Zimbabwe is limited to civilian UN/African Union peacekeeping training at the Sadc Regional Peacekeeping Training Centre, which is a Sadc institution based in Harare.”
Defence minister Emmerson Mnangagwa said: “They pulled out in 2000. It’s now 11 years since they left and they have never been back.”
Mnangagwa said the ZDF was not involved in any military programmes with the British.
Although the ZDF was not benefiting directly from the British government, Zimbabwe reportedly benefited through the British Army Military Training Team at the Sadc Regional Peacekeeping Training Centre in Harare.
Robathan, however, said the British Defence department was indeed funding military programmes in Zimbabwe while responding to an enquiry from East Renfrewshire MP Jimmy Murphy.
Murphy wanted to know which military programmes the British Defence department was funding in Zimbabwe and several other countries that included Afghanistan, Angola, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Robathan refused to disclose how much the British government had allocated to Zimbabwe and the other several countries.
Robathan, however, said the UK MoD had during the last 12 months funded military programmes in Zimbabwe and other countries.
He said the programmes were aimed at enhancing bilateral relationships and building stability overseas as part of the government’s wider foreign policy goals.
They consisted of a wide range of activities including:
providing places on defence education and training courses in the UK (such as the army, air force and navy junior officer training and the joint services advanced command and staff course.
According to reports, Robathan said it was not possible to provide a breakdown of the cost and details of individual programmes as this disclosure would likely prejudice relations between the UK and other states.
Relations between Harare and London were in 2000 strained after President Robert Mugabe launched a violent fast-track land reform programme which drove out white commercial farmers from farmland.
As a result of the standoff Britain and its allies in the European Union slapped President Mugabe and his lieutenants with sanctions.
The country was also put on an EU arms embargo.
But the British embassy in Harare denied London was directly funding ZDF programmes in Zimbabwe.
Keith Scott, the embassy’s political and communications first secretary, said:
“The United Kingdom does not fund the Zimbabwe military. The British Ministry of Defence (MoD)’s involvement in Zimbabwe is limited to civilian UN/African Union peacekeeping training at the Sadc Regional Peacekeeping Training Centre, which is a Sadc institution based in Harare.”
Defence minister Emmerson Mnangagwa said: “They pulled out in 2000. It’s now 11 years since they left and they have never been back.”
Mnangagwa said the ZDF was not involved in any military programmes with the British.
Although the ZDF was not benefiting directly from the British government, Zimbabwe reportedly benefited through the British Army Military Training Team at the Sadc Regional Peacekeeping Training Centre in Harare.
Robathan, however, said the British Defence department was indeed funding military programmes in Zimbabwe while responding to an enquiry from East Renfrewshire MP Jimmy Murphy.
Murphy wanted to know which military programmes the British Defence department was funding in Zimbabwe and several other countries that included Afghanistan, Angola, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Robathan refused to disclose how much the British government had allocated to Zimbabwe and the other several countries.
Robathan, however, said the UK MoD had during the last 12 months funded military programmes in Zimbabwe and other countries.
He said the programmes were aimed at enhancing bilateral relationships and building stability overseas as part of the government’s wider foreign policy goals.
They consisted of a wide range of activities including:
providing places on defence education and training courses in the UK (such as the army, air force and navy junior officer training and the joint services advanced command and staff course.
According to reports, Robathan said it was not possible to provide a breakdown of the cost and details of individual programmes as this disclosure would likely prejudice relations between the UK and other states.
Relations between Harare and London were in 2000 strained after President Robert Mugabe launched a violent fast-track land reform programme which drove out white commercial farmers from farmland.
As a result of the standoff Britain and its allies in the European Union slapped President Mugabe and his lieutenants with sanctions.
The country was also put on an EU arms embargo.
