‘Mercenaries’ could face music at home

NAMIBIANS among the 70 suspected mercenaries arrested in Harare last week would face anti-foreign war charges here if they were to get off lightly in Zimbabwe, Government said yesterday.

Government spokesman and Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Nangolo Mbumba, indicated that the 28 Namibians were unlikely to escape the wrath of the law, even if they were only charged with minor transgressions in Zimbabwe. A Zimbabwean Police spokesman said yesterday that more than 70 people who were arrested after their plane was seized at Harare airport were expected to appear in court today.However, the French news agency AFP, quoted their lawyer, Jonathan Samkange, as saying that that the men were only likely to appear in court tomorrow.The authorities in Harare have been trying to formulate charges after accusing the men of being part of a coup plot in Equatorial Guinea.For now, said Mbumba: “Let them sing the music of the Zimbabwean law.We will leave them to be subjected to Zimbabwean laws.In the event that Zimbabwe decides their case is not so serious and … hand them over then our laws will start applying.”Zimbabwe was still formulating charges against the more than 70 suspects.But after threats from ministers that the alleged mercenaries would face the death penalty, they are now likely to be charged with breaching immigration as well as firearms and ammunition laws.Zimbabwe’s acting attorney general Bharat Patel contradicted his colleagues by saying “we don’t have any legislation on mercenaries”.Mbumba said the Namibian Government would be following the case closely, assisting its citizens as required.”They are in trouble, but it’s the duty of the Namibian Government to check and help them.”However, he added: “They have violated a number of laws … engaged in mercenary activities, participated in [foreign] military activities without permission.”Asked whether Namibia plans to ask for their extradition, Mbumba said: “We don’t have to do anything right now, unless Zimbabwe deports them … then we have to recover our citizens and subject them to our laws.”The Ministry of Information ad Broadcasting on Friday issued a statement saying the Defence Act prohibited Namibians from taking part in military activities or in any “main force or reserve force or any auxiliary force of any country other than Namibia”.The statement by Permanent Secretary Mocks Shivute was hitting back at accusations by the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), which welcomed the anti-mercenary stance of Namibian and Zimbabwean authorities, but criticised them for what they termed as similar activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Angola.The NSHR said in the past 10 years, Angola, DRC, Namibia, Zimbabwe and multi-national corporations such as De Beers had “directly or indirectly participated in, tolerated or facilitated, the recruitment, use, financing, trafficking and training of mercenaries”.Shivute said he dismissed the NSHR’s statement “in the strongest terms.”Last week Equatorial Guinea also arrested 15 men who officials said were part of a plot funded by foreign powers and multi-national firms to put an exiled opposition politician in power.The group of 70 men included 67 aboard an impounded Boeing-727 and three men who came to meet the plane.On Sunday, the first batch of 60 suspects were charged with attempting to illegally purchase firearms in Zimbabwe and with breaching immigration laws by failing to report to immigration officials on arrival in Zimbabwe.The remaining 10 suspects were similarly charged yesterday, Samkange said.However, Simon Mann, one of the trio who went to meet the plane, and his two colleagues were charged with a single count each of purchasing firearms illegally.According to Samkange police have said that Mann had purchased weapons and ammunition from the state-run Zimbabwe Defence Industries (ZDI), which included AK47s, pistols, rocket launchers and ammunition.The men deny the charges.They claim they were hired in South Africa to do security work at a diamond mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).If convicted of the current charges, the men face a maximum of 10 years in jail.The group comprise of South Africans, Namibians, Angolans and Congolese, the majority of whom are on South African passports.”There may be other charges.We’re still thinking about them.We haven’t finalised everything yet,” Acting Attorney General Patel told Reuters.A Zimbabwean Police spokesman said yesterday that more than 70 people who were arrested after their plane was seized at Harare airport were expected to appear in court today.However, the French news agency AFP, quoted their lawyer, Jonathan Samkange, as saying that that the men were only likely to appear in court tomorrow.The authorities in Harare have been trying to formulate charges after accusing the men of being part of a coup plot in Equatorial Guinea.For now, said Mbumba: “Let them sing the music of the Zimbabwean law.We will leave them to be subjected to Zimbabwean laws.In the event that Zimbabwe decides their case is not so serious and … hand them over then our laws will start applying.”Zimbabwe was still formulating charges against the more than 70 suspects.But after threats from ministers that the alleged mercenaries would face the death penalty, they are now likely to be charged with breaching immigration as well as firearms and ammunition laws.Zimbabwe’s acting attorney general Bharat Patel contradicted his colleagues by saying “we don’t have any legislation on mercenaries”.Mbumba said the Namibian Government would be following the case closely, assisting its citizens as required.”They are in trouble, but it’s the duty of the Namibian Government to check and help them.”However, he added: “They have violated a number of laws … engaged in mercenary activities, participated in [foreign] military activities without permission.”Asked whether Namibia plans to ask for their extradition, Mbumba said: “We don’t have to do anything right now, unless Zimbabwe deports them … then we have to recover our citizens and subject them to our laws.”The Ministry of Information ad Broadcasting on Friday issued a statement saying the Defence Act prohibited Namibians from taking part in military activities or in any “main force or reserve force or any auxiliary force of any country other than Namibia”.The statement by Permanent Secretary Mocks Shivute was hitting back at accusations by the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), which welcomed the anti-mercenary stance of Namibian and Zimbabwean authorities, but criticised them for what they termed as similar activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Angola.The NSHR said in the past 10 years, Angola, DRC, Namibia, Zimbabwe and multi-national corporations such as De Beers had “directly or indirectly participated in, tolerated or facilitated, the recruitment, use, financing, trafficking and training of mercenaries”.Shivute said he dismissed the NSHR’s statement “in the strongest terms.”Last week Equatorial Guinea also arrested 15 men who officials said were part of a plot funded by foreign powers and multi-national firms to put an exiled opposition politician in power.The group of 70 men included 67 aboard an impounded Boeing-727 and three men who came to meet the plane.On Sunday, the first batch of 60 suspects were charged with attempting to illegally purchase firearms in Zimbabwe and with breaching immigration laws by failing to report to immigration officials on arrival in Zimbabwe.The remaining 10 suspects were similarly charged yesterday, Samkange said.However, Simon Mann, one of the trio who went to meet the plane, and his two colleagues were charged with a single count each of purchasing firearms illegally.According to Samkange police have said that Mann had purchased weapons and ammunition from the state-run Zimbabwe Defence Industries (ZDI), which included AK47s, pistols, rocket launchers and ammunition.The men deny the charges.They claim they were hired in South Africa to do security work at a diamond mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).If convicted of
the current charges, the men face a maximum of 10 years in jail.The group comprise of South Africans, Namibians, Angolans and Congolese, the majority of whom are on South African passports.”There may be other charges.We’re still thinking about them.We haven’t finalised everything yet,” Acting Attorney General Patel told Reuters.