The Zambia Army says a fact finding mission that was instituted to investigate international media reports that Zambian troops deployed as peace keepers in Sudan failed to protect the civilians in Abyei region during clashes between rival Sudanese forces has established that troops conducted themselves professionally.
Reuters recently reported that Zambian troops retreated during the fight that took place on the 21st of May, 2011 between Sudan armed Forces and the Sudan people’s Liberation army in Abyei.
At a press briefing in Lusaka this afternoon, Zambia Army Chief of operations and training, Brigadier general John Bulawayo said the fact finding mission to Sudan which was led by Deputy Army commander and Chief staff Major General Vincent Mukanda has revealed that the Zambian troops conducted themselves in a professional manner contrary to reports.
Brigadier General Bulawayo adds that the UN force commander Major General Moses Bisongi Obi confirmed to the fact finding mission delegation that the Zambian troops conducted themselves professionally and were able to protect the UN staff and property.
General Bulawayo has also noted that no fatalities were recorded among the Zambian Peace keepers who are currently in Sudan.
QFM
Just bring them back home we need them to monitor the elections here at home and aslo maintain our peace. they must come and guard against Rupia Bandas william banda and the gang.
Can the zambian government clarify repeated reports that Zambia governments confiscates a large part of allowances paid to Zambian peace keepers. It is understood that, while peace keepers from other countries get a full UN allowance and well stocked food staff, Zambian peace keepers get less because the Zambian government gets a large part of peace keepers UN allowances. Zambian peace keepers have been complaining to the media about government cutting their UN allowances. UN peace keeping is supposed to be a free contribution from the country instead of making it as a source of government revenue based on cutting allowances paid to individual soldiers on peace keeping. UN allowances are not subjected to Tax but why does the government collect the money meant for hard working poor soldiers
This is why we need a change of govt. Banda if he had his way would be a dictator thank God for Christ that old beast wont be allowed.. He is simply an embezzler and must go
Pounds and Pence this trend is not Banda’s making but Chiluba’s. It was started in the Chiluba government supported by Honourable Micheal Chilufya Sata. Keep an eye on the real behaviour of your presidential canditates. Banda’s problem is perpetuating this move.
Its true thats what happens. Poor countries like Zambia send their troops to UN missions, the deal is that the UN pays for personel and equipment. The 50% much talked about is that which the Govt retains for equipment, this is the money that the Army uses to buy equipment e.g personel carriers that are later used for other missions. Rich troopcontributing countries have no use for the money for equipment and opt to either give the whole or part of that amount its soldiers. Zambia hasnt got that capacity coz you civillian chaps will be running around with placards when the defence budget goes up. See ?
i think the issue at hand is that we should be expressing outrage at the the people who initiated the degrading lies about our troops and more so against those who shamelessly propagated the insult. i am talking about the post newspaper here. what happened to loyalty or patriotism if you prefer? can you imagine a foreign reporter writing something like “us troops run away from battleground in afganistan”? and fox news taking this up and joining in the attack…. yes, exactly it’s unimaginable. whether their is any grain of truth or not, i do not see any us news agency degrading their troops in any way. i could be wrong since i do not live there. please countrymen, politics aside, lets have a sense a self respect and worth, otherwise how do we expect others to respect us
Webman I can not belabour your point. But I doubt if the people at the post do even understand what patriotism is. This applies to many of our country folk. If you read the bloggers comments when that allegation was made I was really dissapointed. It pointed to a hopeless unpatriotic nation.
Nicekeleko character of Government. These men and women risk their lives…
Yes its too much of nchekeleko.For a soldier or police officer to be included on the list they have to chekelako or be related to some senior officers(nepotism).Its not based on a transparent system.In Zambia we need a strict president to correct the dilemma we are in.Rampant corruption in all sectors
It’s heart-warming to learn than our gallant men & women in uniform who put their lives on the line have been vindicated from the malicious media reports.
As a nation we are so proud of you and the work that you do protecting innocent lives & property.
May God bless you all
So our blue berets are serious GI JOES after all!! God Bless our peace keepers!
even if they failed to protect them so what? it is up to the people of that soil to cherish their peace and no to wait for us to give them temporal peace. this is why Rupiya must learn from this. it is illogical to think that Congo, Angola or any other country will give us better peace that what we currently have, we must cherish our peace today to avoid any conflict for the future.
I salute you for the manner you conducted yourselves.You are the best.No retreat No surrender
What’s this i heard that our boys are COWARDS and are just chewing UN allowances!!
Zambian Army is one of the strongest and most disciplined forces in Africa. Don’t ever smear them the guys are professionals and are very good.
I think the “professionalism” that you’re meaning involves retreat and thus rendering the hapless civilians especially the women and children defenceless at the hands of the fighting parties!!!!. DAVID
Yes we only give our mem and women 50% and other 50% is for that goverment.This is the money BY and other officers pocketed when was ministr of defence during the late Chiluba time.This case is even in the court.Bushu mwe bena Zambia.
@3 well spoken. patriotism and loyalty to one’s country are some of the basic elements of citizenship. that is why we say that we have only one zambia and that zambia must be nurtured like a baby. by now many patriotic zambian citizens know that those elements are lacking in the post “newspaper” and many of our “compatriots” on this blog.
when this story first broke, i did state that we should wait for an investigation before we started yapping. i also stated that we have to understand the role and mandate of united nations peacekeepers. i gave the example of united states troops in afghanistan who are there for combat and not peacekeeping, hence their heavy armour. please let’s politic with facts and patriotism. let’s have faith in our armed forces, they are there for all of us, you, me, rb and mr sata too. above all as we read the post and other news sources, let’s do so with our full guard and a sense of judgment. especially, i emphasise, let’s read the post with a sense of responsibility, it’s our duty since mmembe has none and couldn’t care less.
The AU is useless. That’s y I lyk America. In Africa leaders prefer war breaks out then they send peace keepers there – to ‘keep’ which peace? Only about 3 o 4 African leaders are pragmatic the rest are useless. They wil c their friend treading the war path but they wl stand blindly by his side 4 selfish reasons. U cannot v a force that cannot b allowed to fight back. I 100% support our troops and given a chance I wud not send our troops out there save 4 the dollar which they make. If it were left to America 2 sort out ths mess chi Albashir wud b gon by now.
# 2. Its true thats what happens. Poor countries like Zambia send their troops to UN missions, the deal is that the UN pays for personel and equipment. The 50% much talked about is that which the Govt retains for equipment, this is the money that the Army uses to buy equipment e.g personel carriers that are later used for other missions. Rich troopcontributing countries have no use for the money for equipment and opt to either give the whole or part of that amount its soldiers. Zambia hasnt got that capacity coz you chaps will be running around with placards when the defence budget goes up. See ?
And the Truth shall set you free ! Now where are those haters ?!
If they fail to protect civilian lives, why go there? These guys are only good at imbibing subsidised beer and harassing bus drivers/conductors for blocking roads.
#17 uli tall lay sanar
Well done to our troops
I knew our lads were not cowards. Probably becoz they are being commanded by old commanders and generals on un-ending contracts ! Kuya bebele this year guys. And if you have left a spoilt child with no serious papers, have a child being attested twice, or had resigned and you had him re-instated dubiously even after the mangwam resigned on his own, muzadabwa maningi daddy.
Uuuuuh I don’t know what to believe now.
I knew it. Our boys are too good. Even Zim boys can’t be marched to our army. That is why Mwanawasa told Uncle Bob with a head up. Botswana president was told to shup up by Bob.
No 20, you are realy well vested with data ka! am impressed thaqt there is no secret on this earth
What ‘data’ is there to hide when you all know the truth ?
Iwe chee colour dont pretend as if you dont know. You are the same chaps that are busy chewing plundered imprest with your stupid retired uncles at the expense of others. Way mbwa we !
Wel done. Obama wil entrust us with their $,Cameron their £ and Sakoz their €. Bravo undivided nation. Vivala Zambia
let them come back home..!
Cant help but to smile at the positive comments made by you all. Its great to see that we as citizen can show such love for our military guys abroad. The USA, BRITAIN and FRANCE countries whose development we want to emulate have heavily invested in their Law enforcement agencies. Their pride is in their ARMY, POLICE, KGB, FBI, CIA. Back home we try all we can to humiliate a soldier or a policeman. Lets rethink our attitude towards men in uniform. If they know we respect them they will also behave respectifully.