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Defence Minister Dr Sydney Sekeramayi talks to National Defence College Commandant Air Vice Marshal Michael Moyo in Harare yesterday. — Picture by John Manzongo

Herald Reporters
The influx of undocumented immigrants into the region has the potential of importing terrorism and fuelling the rapid deployment of Western military into Southern Africa under the pretext of fighting war on terror, a Cabinet Minister has said.Presenting a paper on Zimbabwe’s Defence Policy to students at the National Defence College yesterday, Defence Minister Dr Sydney Sekeramayi said the development called for more measures on domestic security.

“The region continues to witness an influx of undocumented immigrants from the Horn of Africa, West Africa and Asia, often with the assistance of international human trafficking syndicates,” he said.

“Irregular migration has the potential to export terrorism from areas where the migrants originate to the Southern African region, a development that not only aggravates domestic security challenges, but has also the potential to attract rapid deployment of the Western military to the region under the pretext of prosecuting the global war on terror.”

Minister Sekeramayi said internally, the major threat to Zimbabwe’s peaceful existence was the Western sponsored regime change agenda in opposition to the successful land reform.

“The objective of the regime change agenda, orchestrated by the West led by the UK and USA, is economic destabilisation through illegal economic sanctions, psychological/information warfare, intrusive political interference, diplomatic isolation and socio-cultural intrusion,” he said.

“Clearly, the aim is to cause hardship among the population so that the resultant frustration would in time, push the populace into revolt against the Government.”

Minister Sekeramayi said Western countries wanted to integrate parts of Africa, especially those with agricultural potential and strategic minerals into the wings of their economies through various   strategies.

“The establishment of the United States Africa Command (US AFRICOM) also strengthens the view point that the US is determined to penetrate and gain control of the military in Africa for its own interests, particularly resource control, wealth and global dominance,” he said.

Minister Sekeramayi said despite the efforts of the African Union to bring together the different African states in the spirit of promoting unity and economic co-operation, the continent continues to display characteristics reminiscent of colonialism.

Minister Sekeramayi said Zimbabwe did not aspire to develop any weapons of mass destruction and was also a high Contracting Party to the Ottawa Convention on Anti-Personnel Mines as well as the Geneva Protocols for the elimination of Nuclear-Biological and Chemical Weapons.