Zimbabwe said yesterday that 64 men it was holding on suspicion of being mercenaries were mainly Angolans, South Africans and Namibians, but added that Harare was not the destination of the plane they were travelling on. âSo far, it would appear that Harare was not the final destination of the group. Bujumbura in Burundi, Mbujimayi in the DRC and other destinations have been given by the group,â Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi said in a statement. Zimbabwe put its army on full alert after Sundayâs seizure of a US-registered 727-100 cargo plane that government officials said was carrying suspected foreign mercenaries and a cargo of military material.
| The whole army? Bob must be really jumpy... |
The operator of the plane, UK-based Logo Logistics Ltd, said the men had been bound for the Democratic Republic of Congo to work as security guards on mines, and the aircraft had landed in Zimbabwe only to pick up mining equipment.
| And nobody was expecting them? |
Guinea said yesterday it had arrested 15 suspected foreign mercenaries who were an advance party connected with the aircraft detained in Harare. Equatorial Guinea is in West Africa.
| Oh, good. They haven't moved it... |
âAll detainees are being held in a local prison pending the outcome of investigations surrounding the incident,â South African Foreign Affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said. In his statement, Mamoepa said that if any South Africans were involved in mercenary activities, they would be breaking the countryâs laws. |