Nervous guerrillas pose risk for Queen.

Press, 18 July 1979, Page 20

Nervous guerrillas pose risk for Queen.

-From the “Economist,” London

The day after the raid on June 26 by aircraft from Zimbabwe-Rhodesia on guerrilla targets in Lusaka, Patriotic Front guerrillas fired on a civilian airliner coming in to land at the Zambian capital’s airport. They did not hit it, but the incident shows just how nervous the guerrillas are — and just how incapable of distinguishing between a Hawker Hunter fighterbomber and a Boeing 707. Given the record of Mr Nkomo’s men, who have already shot down two of Zambia’s own military aircraft, it is questionable whether they will be able to tell the difference between the VC-10 that brings the Queen to Lusaka for her state visit on July 28, the ancient Andover she will use to visit parts of Zambia, and a Zimbabwean fighterbomber. The most effective way to assure the safety of the Queen and the Commonwealth heads of government

attending their conference in Lusaka would be to move the guerrillas away from their camps near the capital. A month ago it seemed that this was what the Zambians planned to do. Now it appears that they are unable or unwilling to move anybody who carries a gun. Instead, they intend to put units of the Zambian army into the camps to keep a close eye on what the guerrillas get up to. While she is on the ground in Lusaka, the Queen should be in no danger. She will stay at a heavily guarded lodge just outside the capital and will travel in a bulletproof car. The Commonwealth heads of government, too, will be living in a well-guarded conference compound. There is little likelihood that either the Queen or the conference delegates will be embarrassed by hostile Patriotic Front demonstrations. Mr Nkomo and Zambia’s President Kenneth Kaunda both know

how counter-productive this could be. The two Zimbabwean raids on Lusaka recently focused attention on the Queen’s safety. They also showed up Zambia’s inability, or unwillingness, to defend itself. The Zimbabwean commandos who attacked Mr Nkomo’s intelligence headquarters were on the ground for more than an hour without being challenged by the Zambian army, and Zambian MiG-19s were sighted only after the raiders had left. Mr Kaunda may have decided to keep his own forces on a tight rein and let the guerrillas look after themselves. He has good reason to do so if Bishop Muzorewa’s Government has made this a condition for allowing goods bound to and from Zambia to use Zimbabwe’s railroads. More than half of Zambia’s trade now depends on this route.