RENAMO rebels in Mozambique have complained about the recent deployment of the Zimbabwe government troops , claiming the army had deployed 12 armoured vehicles and troops that he said included “mercenaries” from Angola, China, and Tanzania at the border of the territory under their control.
Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama, who has been holed up in the forests of central Mozambique, on Wednesday claimed the military had staged a fresh attack against his base.
“Last Friday the Frelimo (ruling party) once again tried to attack us,” Dhlakama said from Gorongosa forest in a news conference via telephone to journalists gathered at the party headquarters in the capital Maputo.
“They (government troops) started firing from far and . . . then we let them come close. When they got very close we massacred them “ Dhlakama said, without specifying the number of dead or wounded.
“But why do they want to kill me?” he asked, making reference to a previous attempt on his life that forced him to retreat to the bush last year.
Last week an unconfirmed number of Zimbabwean soldiers were reportedly caught up in a shoot-out with Renamo rebels.
“A bus full of Zimbabwean soldiers was attacked by Renamo (rebels) on their way to Gorongosa to help the Mozambican government.
“The bus was attacked at Mesica turn off. Many deaths (occurred),” said the source.
President Robert Mugabe’s government has also unilaterally sent troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a move that marked the advent of Zimbabwe’s economic crisis in the late 1990s.
The Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Alphios Makotore could not be drawn to comment on the report.
“We don’t comment on matters like that over the phone,” said Makotore.
