Bishop’s forces accused

Press, 26 December 1979, Page 6

Bishop’s forces accused

NZPA-Reuter Lusaka The Rhodesian guerrilla leader, Joshua Nkomo, has accused the so-called "auxiliary forces" of the former Prime Minister. Abel Muzorewa, of attacking the former home in Salisbury of Robert Mugabe. Mr Nkomo. co-leader with Mr Mugabe of the Patriotic Front, spoke on his return to Lusaka from the London peace talks. Three unidentified Africans raked the Mugabe home with automatic fire oni Saturday, injuring two of Mr Mugabe's nephews. In a speech, Mr Nkomo said Bishop Muzorewa s men had staged the attack to make it look as if Mr Nkomo's gunmen were involved and thus split the Patriotic Front. Me called on Rhodesia’s new British Governor (Lord Soames) to stop further at-

i tacks by rounding up the i auxiliary forces and putting 1 i them in special camps. s! "Until that is done, in-!' -jcidents like yesterday’s will]! r continue to happen,” hep ■ ‘said. -' A Zambian Government!! f delegation and more than ,2000 of Mr Nkomo’s follow-;! ijers gave him a rousing wele'eome. i Some 60.000 refugees and i.guerrilla fighters of Mr ' Nkomo’s Zimbabwe African” I People’s Union have used • Zambia as a base. II Speaking to his followers, i riMr Nkomo paid tribute to "the heroic stand of our > people” against the forces of i imperiklism and exploitation. < > He also thanked interr national organisations and - countries, particularly the ■ socialist States of East Eur-'( . ope and Zambia, which had;J i helped the Front. | ( Linking the war in Rho-I:

desia with liberation struggles in other parts of (southern Africa, Mr Nkomo (declared ominously that “we (fought together against federation (of Rhodesia and (Nyasaland), we fought to get Zambia, to get Zimbabwe, and we shall fight together to get South Africa.” | Mr Nkomo Inter told a, (press conference he would! return to Salisbury “in the ( .very near future” but would first spend a few days in the Zambian capital to issue instructions to his forces about the cease-fire. He is also due to go to Dar-es-Salaam for talks with Mr Mugabe on the Front’s election strategy. In Lusaka, Mr Nkomo said the Front would fight the elections as an alliance rather than as a single party. “We ‘have fought the war as an ‘alliance, we shall fight the I elections as an alliance,” he (said.