And Zim deaths in the Congo .....

From The Zimbabwe Standard

Court declares 73 Manicaland soldiers dead in the DRC

By our own Staff

Mutare - More than 70 Zimbabwean soldiers from army barracks in Manicaland have now been declared dead after having been reported missing in late 1990, during the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, The Standard has established. A Mutare Magistrates' Court heard on Thursday that 73 of the soldiers declared dead were from Manicaland and were killed during one battle in the DRC on March 15, 1999. The disclosures were made by senior army officials during a missing persons' hearing before Provincial Magistrate Hosiah Mujaya and another Mutare Magistrate Billiard Musakwa. The court heard that the soldiers who perished on March 15, 1999 were under Major Stephen Madzorere. Ten of the soldiers who died at the Mpunbu battle in the DRC were named in court on Thursday, with the names of the remainder expected to be made public this week. Among those officially declared dead in court were Private Manyepa, Ruhodo Marshall, Kuchona Isaac, Vhelapi Nkomo, Vukile Sibanda, Madzutu Titus Mashava, Gwete David Zvanyanya, Promise Maphosa, Dryton Chasakara and Tarugarira. They were all from 31, 32 and 33 Infantry Battalions in Manicaland.

President Robert Mugabe sent Zimbabwean troops to the DRC in 1998 - without consulting Parliament - to repel rebels that were fighting to overthrow the late Congolese leader Laurent Kabila's government. The Zimbabwe Parliament was forced to ratify the army's involvement in the vast central African country more than 18 months later. Although the Zimbabwean government has never publicly announced the number of soldiers who died in the Congo, unofficial estimates say thousands of Zimbabweans perished in the three-year campaign. The Zimbabwean presence in the DRC is also reported to have milked the government of billions of dollars. Although The Standard and its sister paper, The Zimbabwe Independent published some names of soldiers reported to have died in the DRC in 1999, the government, at the time, could neither confirm nor deny their identities. According to the Missing Persons' Act, a person who has been missing must be declared dead after certain period of time. This is done for the reasons of issuing a death certificate or for the purposes of disposing of the deceased's estate to family members or relatives. An authority of the rank of a provincial magistrate makes the declaration.