Sanctions force Zimbabwe to review peace keeping missions

Robert Mugabe's Defence Minister, Emmerson Mnangagwa says the biting sanctions imposed on the country by the western have forced the Zimbabwe Defence Forces to review its participation in peace keeping missions due to its depleted resources

Since Zimbabwe attained her independence in 1980, the country has been invited in many peace keeping missions due to the professional conduct of its military staff.

Zimbabwe's military has been invited to both continental and international peace keeping missions that include East Timor, Liberia, Rwanda, DRC and Sudan.

Mnangagwa says due to its high level of professionalism and conduct, the ZDF has always been invited by the United Nations to take part in peace keeping missions globally, but the biting sanctions imposed by western countries at the invitation of Britain have forced the country to scale down its UN peace duties.

Mnangagwa, however, could not say which UN peace keeping mission invitations has the country turned down, but in normal circumstances any country can decline to take up the offer after considering its human and material resources.

Zimbabwe currently has personnel in Sudan's Darfur region on African Union and United Nations peace keeping missions.