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Lloyd Gumbo Senior Reporter
The Zimbabwe Defence Forces’ training contingent to the Equatorial Guinea has returned home after training that country’s military officers for the past one year.

The contingent was deployed to the West African country in November last year after an urgent request by Equatorial Guinea to have ZDF train their military personnel on operational and logistical matters.

Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has since deployed a special envoy, Minister of responsible for External Security, Mr Juan Antonio Bibang Nchuchuma to President Mugabe, to thank Zimbabwe for the support.

Minister Nchuchuma paid a courtesy call on Acting President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday at his Munhumutapa Offices where he delivered President Nguema’s message to President Mugabe.

Speaking to the media after a closed door meeting with Acting President Mnangagwa, Minister Nchuchuma said his country was grateful for the support they received from Zimbabwe.

“The content of the message is to renew the relationship between the two countries-Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea, and to thank the President about the contingent, military commanders who served in Equatorial Guinea for more than one year,” he said.

“They came together with me yesterday back home. It is the end of the mission.

“We discovered a lot of things from the Zimbabwean contingent. First of all, it’s their discipline, loyalty and Pan-Africanism. We discovered an army that is well disciplined. We were impressed. They made a lot of friends in Equatorial.

“We think this is not the end of the mission. This is part of the programme we have with Zimbabwe to share experience in the security and defence areas.

What we have got in our plan is to train our officers here in the Zimbabwe (Military) School of Academy here. We want to send cadets here so that you can train them here. This is the exchange we are doing.”

Minister Nchuchuma said his country also wanted to strengthen economic relations between the two countries.

He said this was evidenced by his country’s deployment of an ambassador to Zimbabwe.

The contingent that was deployed to the West African country was composed of the Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, members of the Central Intelligence Organisation and the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

Zimbabwe is said to be the leading nation in Africa in terms of solid security, having been involved in a number of missions in the continent.