Accidents, tension cast pall over cease-fire hopes

Press, 29 December 1979, Page 6

Accidents, tension cast pall over cease-fire hopes

NZPA-Reuter Salisbury A cease-fire is due to begin in Rhodesia today L\\Z. time' amid ill omens, including the death of a guerrilla leader considered a key figure in enforcing the peace.

The Rhodesian peace agree- R ment signed in London a I; week ago stipulated midnight s vesterdav, local time (about ii 9.30 a.m. today. N.Z. time), ti as the moment when the war-; ring Patriotic Front guerril-A las and former Government[ ii forces should finally lay p down their arms. The British-led. 1300-strong f cease-fire monitoring force [ a from the Commonwealth was i r yesterday moving to its posi-lt tions around the country. r But British officials in Salis-1 bury admitted that they did f not know what might occur r over the next few days. t Apprehension and uncer- f tainty over the cease-fire ar-i rangements increased yester- t day with the deaths of three t British soldiers in a helicop- • f ter crash and of a guerrilla [l general. Josiah Tcngogara. ‘t General Tongogara was | commander of the armed for- I ces of Robert Mugabe’s wing of the Patriotic Front, the 1 Zimbabwe African Nationals Union. It He was killed in a car crash' in Mozambique on December'j 26, but the news emerged 1 only yesterday. ] Mr Tongogara. who was 41 ; and had been in the guerrilla |i war virtually from .he begin-1 ning. was born in Selukwe. . the same town as the former ;

Rhodesian Prune Minister, lan Smith. He was seen as a j strong advocate of maintain-1 ing the shaky unity of the Pa-' triotic Front. British officials considered} Mr Tongogara a key figure in ensuring the success of the [ peace settlement. His backing for the cease-1 fire was expected to encour- j age guerrillas to obey its rules and come in from the; bush to designated assembly; points. A hero to the Patriotic; Front, he was to have ar-; rived in Salisbury yesterday; to help oversee the ceasefire. A preliminary inquiry intoj the deaths of the three Bri-i tish members of the cease-' fire monitoring force estab-; lished that the crash of their helicopter was almost certainly an accident. It apparently hit a telegraph pole. A single shot also hit a British transport plane as it flew over bush country but I there were no casualties. Both aircraft were involved 'in the dispersal of monitoring i troops to the Patriotic Front’s 24 rendezvous points ,and 16 assembly points scatjtered around the country. The troops from Britain, ■Australia, New Zealand. Fiji, and Kenya would not arrive

at their final posts until late iin the afternoon to minimise the risk of accidental clashes 'with the guerrillas, British ■military’ officials said. I The cease-fire is the first crucial stage in the settleiment plan agreed by Britain, ■the Patriotic Front, and the ' former Salisbury Govern'ment. I It will herald a two-month [election campaign which ; should culminate in the [choice of a new government I under a fresh constitution. I Implementing the cease-fire [ “is vital if the peace agree- ' ment is to succeed,” a senior British official commented. ! But many’ Rhodesians were '! sceptical that it would work. ■ pointing to a steady stream 'i of casualties during what '•should have been a wind- ’ I down period in the fighting. • [ Sixteen more people have 1 1been killed in the war. according to Rhodesian military 1 ; headquarters yesterday. t i Adding to the atmosphere I of political tension, the actins • head in Salisbury of ijZ.A.N.U., Enos Nkala, said ?[ assassination squads were clout to kill Patriotic Front Si leaders when they’ return -[from exile. I It was not known when i,, Mr Mugabe and his co-leader i, [Joshua Nkomo might arrive e in Salisbury.