Zimbabwe February 2007 |
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| Key personnel leaving security services, (SW Radio Africa, 2007-02-21):-Officers running away from their jobs have adversely affected every unit and department of the country’s security forces, defence analysts said on Wednesday. It’s reported that more officers from the army, airforce, police and the central intelligence organisation have deserted or resigned in the last twelve months than in any other period since Independence. Badly hit by the mass exodus of key staff is the airforce of Zimbabwe that has lost many of its helicopter and fighter pilots, including technicians from Manyame and Thornhill airbases in Harare and Gweru. Highly regarded detectives and officers from the police forensic department have left in droves, so have nurses and many officers with university qualifications. The national army has lost some of its battle-hardened soldiers who have served in Mozambique, during the Renamo crisis and lately in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The CIO has not been spared either. Computer experts from the spy agency’s intelligence directorate who monitor the Internet, phones and foreign radio transmissions into the country have also left for greener pastures. Giles Mutsekwa, defence advisor to MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai, said that having proved their courage on the battlefield many soldiers were now demonstrating the same courage by opposing the regime. ‘Robert Mugabe should be worried by this because you never know what these highly trained professionals will think next. Because they’re disgruntled, one theory is they might regroup as a unit and decide to strike back,’ Mutsekwa said. Since January the army has been rocked by a number of cases involving soldiers walking out of their duties because of low salaries and morale has sunk to an all time low. Investigations are still on-going at the Zimbabwe Military Academy in Gweru over a near mutiny involving trainee officer cadets who were demanding better salaries. | |
South African Migration Project (SAMP) - Queen's University - http://www.queensu.ca/samp |