The Bulawayo daily, Chronicle, said the United States and Britain were planning a military offensive to oust President Robert Mugabe if he won the 2002 presidential elections which were then just two days away.
The paper said London and Washington were planning to deploy a paramilitary group codenamed CIRA in Matabeleland to test the waters.
The report said when the government moved in to crush the insurgency, the West would then intervene and topple Mugabe.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 02HARARE615, MEDIA REACTION ZIMBABWE DECIDES; HARARE
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
081041Z Mar 02
UNCLASSIFIED PTO5775
PAGE 01 HARARE 00615 082349Z
ACTION INR-00
INFO LOG-00 AF-00 AID-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 SRPP-00 EB-00
EUR-00 UTED-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 IO-00 L-00
AC-01 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OIC-02 OMB-01 PA-00 PM-00
PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 SS-00 STR-00 TEST-00
TRSE-00 T-00 USIE-00 PMB-00 PRM-00 DRL-02 G-00
SAS-00 /007W
——————71C7FF 082349Z /30
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1132
INFO NSC WASHDC
AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
AMEMBASSY LUSAKA
AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK
AMEMBASSY GABORONE
AMEMBASSY LILONGWE
AMEMBASSY LONDON
UNCLAS HARARE 000615
SIPDIS
AF/PD FOR COX AND ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT AND
SCHLACHTER, AF/RA FOR SWANN, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI
FRAZER
E.O. 12958: N/A
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ZIMBABWE DECIDES; HARARE
UNCLASSIFIED
PAGE 02 HARARE 00615 082349Z
¶1. THE BULAWAYO-BASED GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED DAILY
“CHRONICLE” HAS CARRIED AN ARTICLE, BASED ON
ANONYMOUS “HIGHLY PLACED SOURCES,” ACCUSING THE
UNITED STATES AND BRITAIN OF PLANNING A “MAJOR
MILITARY OFFENSIVE” TO OUST THE MUGABE
ADMINISTRATION IF IT STAYS IN POWER AFTER THE MARCH
9 AND 10 PRESIDENTIAL POLL. ACCORDING TO THE LEAD
ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN THE MARCH 6 EDITION OF THE
“CHRONICLE,” UNDER HEADLINE “MAJOR MILITARY
OFFENSIVE PLANNED,” A U. S. AND BRITISH-LED
INSURGENCY IS EXPECTED TO TAKE PLACE IN
MATABELELAND SOON AFTER THIS WEEKEND’S ELECTION.
EXCERPTS OF THIS LENGTHY PIECE FOLLOW:
¶2. “THE BRITISH AND AMERICAN GOVERNMENTS ARE
ALLEGEDLY SETTING THE STAGE FOR A MAJOR MILITARY
OFFENSIVE AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT THROUGH THE
SPONSORING OF AN INSURGENCY INTO MATABELELAND
AFTER THIS WEEKEND’S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS WHICH
PRESIDENT MUGABE IS HEAVILY TIPPED TO WIN, ‘CHRONICLE’
LEARNT THIS WEEK. HIGHLY PLACED SOURCES IN LONDON AND
WASHINGTON SAID THE DEPLOYMENT OF A PARAMILITARY
GROUP CODE NAMED CIRA (CAMPAIGN IN RURAL AREAS) BY
THE OPPOSITION MDC IN RURAL MATABELELAND WAS AIMED
AT ‘TESTING THE WATERS’ AHEAD OF THE FULL
DEPLOYMENT OF ARMED UNITS IN THE REGION TO FIGHT
THE ‘MUGABE REGIME’ AFTER THE ELECTIONS. . .
ACCORDING TO SOURCES, BRITAIN AND THE U.S. PLAN TO
SPONSOR AN INSURGENCY USING MDC’S STRONGHOLD OF
MATABELELAND AND LATER JUSTIFY MILITARY
UNCLASSIFIED
PAGE 03 HARARE 00615 082349Z
INTERVENTION AND THE TOPPLING OF PRESIDENT MUGABE.
‘THE PEOPLE OF MATABELELAND WILL ONCE AGAIN BE USED
AS SACRIFICIAL LAMBS IN A POWER GAME BY THE WEST
WHICH IS INTENT ON INSTALLING A PUPPET REGIME IN
ZIMBABWE. THE PLAN WILL TAKE SHAPE AFTER THE
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS. AN INSURGENCY WILL START
IN RURAL MATABELELAND. THESE PEOPLE WILL
SUPPOSEDLY BE FIGHTING THE OUTCOME OF THE POLLS.
WHEN THE GOVERNMENT MOVES IN TO CRUSH THE
INSURGENCY, THE WEST WILL THEN INTERVENE AND TOPPLE
PRESIDENT MUGABE,’ SAID A HIGHLY PLACED SOURCE
PRIVY TO THE PLAN. BRITAIN AND AMERICA WILL
JUSTIFY THEIR INTERVENTION BY PROFFERING THE
ARGUMENT THAT THEY WILL HAVE PREVENTED MASS
GENOCIDE OF THE NDEBELE PEOPLE. . . .”
SULLIVAN
UNCLASSIFIED
>
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