Iden Wetherell
The Zimbabwean government continues to be less than frank about how it is funding its forces in Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ministers at first suggested it cost no more to keep troops in Congo than it did at home. When that argument failed to fly, conflicting statements followed. Zimbabwe’s finance minister said the war had been accommodated within the defence budget, while other ministers suggested well-wishers in the international community were helping out.
Pressed to identify who these well- wishers were, acting minister of defence Sydney Sekeramayi last month confined the donors to “the allies fighting in Congo”. This story was repeated last week to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), with the government telling a visiting audit team that Angola and Congo itself were paying for Zimbabwe’s contribution. But no sooner had the IMF swallowed this line than Minister of Defence Moven Mahachi sought to revise it.
Angola and Congo were indeed providing material support such as fuel, transport and equipment, he said this week, but Zimbabwe was also contributing part of the costs from within its own budgetary resources.
There has been speculation that Libya is contributing to Zimbabwe’s war effort. But Libyan leader Moammar Gadaffi, while appointing himself mediator in the conflict, has only agreed to provide a line of credit for oil purchases worth $100-million.
France has been mentioned as a possible funder as well, but the French embassy in Harare last week denied any involvement. “France is in no way involved in the events currently taking place in Congo and the Great Lakes region,” first secretary Sebastien Surun said. “France does not help [in] financing the war effort of any of the countries involved in the conflict in Congo.”
The Zimbabwean government is very sensitive about its presence in Congo, given protests at home over its spending priorities. The war is estimated to be costing the country more than $1-million a day at a time when social services have collapsed and infrastructure is crumbling.
While the IMF might have received an explanation of sorts, the Zimbabwean public still hasn’t been told where the money is coming from.
The air force recently took delivery of 12 Chinese-made F7 fighter planes estimated to cost $100-million to augment its firepower in Congo and counter South Africa’s re-equipment programme.
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