1 post tagged “sadc”
Of
the numerous military intervention strategies that exist for the ethical and
morally justifiable removal of the junta in Zimbabwe, only two options are
tactically feasible, politically correct and need no further public interrogation.
The
first option would involve the use of a private army. It offers plausible
deniability to any supportive government in the event of collateral damage and
civilians casualties. This option also allows for countries with post-colonial
guilt to render indirect lethal and non-lethal assistance from a distance.
This urgent intervention is a
moral imperative and will confound all cynics who subscribe to the notion that
Western countries only intervene when their economic interests are threatened.
The
second option is a direct military intervention in Zimbabwe to restore democracy and save innocent lives under
the auspices of the African Union (AU), the United Nations (UN), the European Union
(EU), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Commonwealth.
Operation
Restore Democracy should be broken into four critical phases: planning and
posturing, attack, mission completion and post-hostilities.
The
period from the first phase to the final phase for both options is sixty days.
The
Organisation of African Unity (OAU) adopted the Declaration on Unconstitutional Changes of Government through
the 36th ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of
the OAU, held in Lomé, from 10 to 12 July
2000.
This in tandem with the relevant principles of the Constitutive Act of the
African Union legally compels the AU to intervene militarily in Zimbabwe. The mandate is to remove
an unlawful, criminal junta that
overthrew an elected president on March 29, 2008 through a brutal low intensity conflict and an unconstitutional
coup de tat.
Only African Union member
states whose leaders and governments are themselves in elected office should
participate in this operation, "the coalition of the willing and able."
Zimbabwe, by its very geography presents a challenge for any
military strategist. It is landlocked and surrounded by some neighbouring
sovereign states that are sympathetic to the despotic ruler in Zimbabwe. The ability of the intervention force to over fly
these territories in support of the ground troops requires diplomacy, secrecy
and African unity. Diplomatic clearances, international support and
intelligence capabilities are essential for the success of the mission at hand.
Without divulging intimate
details of this robust intervention strategy, current war gaming reveals that the
main invasion force, the foot soldiers, should be made up of infantry battalions from Africa in
order to mitigate local animosity. With Zimbabwe broken up into five theaters of operations, each
African contingent will be responsible for the command and control of its
troops. A coalition headquarters manned by officers from participating
countries coordinates operations under a central command, thus avoiding friendly
fire and other combat communication mishaps during the fog of war.
Establishing a no-fly zone
that covers Zimbabwean airspace is the first action to be undertaken before the
posturing of the intervention force thus establishing air superiority.
Protection of national
assets such as power stations, dams, etc., against destruction from the regime
militia's scorched policy, should be prioritised .
On the other hand, the
Zimbabwe Defence Forces are well trained and battle hardened in comparison to
some of their African counterparts.
However, their equipment is functionally obsolete and if their last
battles in the Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC), Operation Sovereign Legitimacy
(OSLEG) are anything to go by, only the Special Forces units i.e. Parachute Regiment, Commando Battalion,
Special Air Service (SAS), could present meaningful resistance.
The threat to the civilian
population and to the intervention force from the military elite, sycophantic
rogue officers and men of the ZDF will have to be suppressed through psychological
operations. Pre-emptive targeted bombings prior to the commencement of the main
attack will effectively degrade the junta's fighting capabilities. The junta
leadership should also be neutralised during this phase. The will of the
professional Zimbabwean soldier to fight and certainly die in defence of a despotic
tyrant is questionable.
Special Operation Forces
(SOF) units shall be deployed for direct action missions for eliminating youth
militia and auxiliaries who pose a grave threat to civilians. The coalition
shall not use cluster munitions, anti-personnel mines or dumb bombs in Zimbabwe.
A robust post hostilities stabilization force under a comprehensive military operation other than war (MOOTW) plan, comprising of officers and men with peacekeeping experience and training, are deployed as soon as major combat is over. The United Nations then assumes sovereign authority during the transitional phase as elections are conducted.
