Harare – The Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) is reportedly set to train troops in Equatorial Guinea following an “urgent” request from the west African country. 
The ZDF deployed a team of trainers to Equatorial Guinea to train that country’s military officers on “operational and logistic matters”, according to the state-owned Herald newspaper.
The report said the delegation was composed of members of the Zimbabwe National Army and Air Forces of Zimbabwe. “The Equatorial Guinea had realised some training deficiencies on their defence forces, hence the request,” the ZDF Commander General Constatine Chiwenga was quoted as saying during a send-off ceremony last week.
This is not the first time that Zimbabwe’s security forces have been deployed to Equatorial Guinea. The southern African country sent a team of its anti-terrorism unit to capital Malabo to provide services during the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.
Reports said at the time that President Teodoro Obiang Nguema asked his Zimbabwean counterpart Robert Mugabe to send the elite team, which provided “VIP security, intelligence as well as manning key institutions”. Equatorial Guinea met all expenses.
Mugabe’s close relationship with Nguema dates back to 2004 when Zimbabwe intercepted mercenaries who were en route to Malabo to stage a coup and overthrow Nguema. – News24
