Zimbabwe makes interesting reading. The country has been dragged into an attempted US$60 million arms purchase by Swaziland. The only reason is that Swaziland did not allegedly need the array of weapons requested. Another ventured elsewhere is that the country was trying to make up for weapons from China that it had been stopped from getting. But even in the diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks, Zimbabwe was just mentioned in passing.
According to the cable filed by Maurice Parker, United States ambassador to Swaziland, on 11 June 2009 Swaziland sought to buy the arms worth US$60 million in December 2009 from British weapons manufacturer Unionlet Limited. The British government, however, denied the request over end-use concerns.
The weapons included 3 Bell Model UH-1H helicopters, FN Herstal 7.6251mm Minimi light machine guns, blank and tracer ammunition, armoured personnel carriers, command and control vehicles including one fitted with a 12.7x99mm M2 Browning heavy machine gun and others fitted with the FN Herstal light machine guns, military ambulances, armoured repair and recovery vehicles, weapon sights, military image intensifier equipment, optical target surveillance equipment, 620 Heckler & Koch G36E assault rifles, 240 Heckler & Koch G36K assault rifles, 65 Heckler & Koch G36E rifles, 75 Heckler & Koch UMP submachine guns 9x19mm, and 35 Heckler & Koch USP semi-automatic pistols.
Swaziland said it wanted the weapons for its United Nations peacekeeping forces.
The US ambassador, however, felt that the array of weapons requested would not be needed for the first phases of peacekeeping, although it is possible someone tried to convince the Swazi government they were required.
He said Swaziland may have been attempting to build up domestic capability to deal with unrest, or was possibly acting as an intermediary for a “third party such as Zimbabwe or a Middle Eastern country that had cash, diamonds or goods to trade”.
It is not clear why the ambassador brought in Zimbabwe but this could have been an attempt to so show Zimbabwe’s desperation for weapons ostensibly because it had failed to secure weapons it had ordered from China after dock-workers in South Africa refused to offload the weapons.
The weapons were delivered to Zimbabwe from Angola by a British-owned company Avient, though the company refuses to confirm this. This works well for the company as the West and the media continue to revel in the story that the delivery was foiled as this makes it a victory against Mugabe.
It is not clear why anyone would have expected Zimbabwe to be involved in the Swazi arms deal as it had signed the global political agreement three months before the attempted purchase.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 09MBABANE141, SWAZILAND ARMS PURCHASE ATTEMPTED
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Reference ID
Created
Released
Classification
Origin
09MBABANE141
2009-06-11 15:03
2011-02-24 12:12
SECRET
Embassy Mbabane
P 111527Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY MBABANE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3557
INFO SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
AMEMBASSY LONDON
AMEMBASSY PARIS
HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
S E C R E T MBABANE 000141
DEPT FOR DS/IP/AF, DS/IP/ITA; AF/S (MJWILLS,EPELLETREU, MHARRIS); AF/RSA; LONDON, PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCH
SECRET
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/09/2019
TAGS: KDEM PGOV PINR PREL WZ PINS MASS ETTC XF
SUBJECT: SWAZILAND ARMS PURCHASE ATTEMPTED
Classified By: AMB. MAURICE PARKER FOR REASONS 1.4 (b) AND (d)
¶1. (S) SUMMARY: In December 2008, the GKOS sought to purchase approximately 60 million USD worth of military equipment, including helicopters, vehicles, weapons, and ammunition from a British weapons manufacturer. The British government denied the request over end-use concerns. In documents requesting permission to purchase the equipment, Swaziland’s Ministry of Defense stated that the equipment was for use by the Umbutfo Swaziland Defense Force (USDF) on United Nations peacekeeping deployment in Africa. It is unclear whether this was the intended purpose, or whether GKOS was attempting to build up domestic capability to deal with unrest, or was possibly acting as an intermediary for a third party. END SUMMARY
¶2. (S) In December 2008, the GKOS sought to purchase approximately 60 million USD worth of military equipment from British weapons manufacturer Unionlet Limited (please protect). The British government denied the request over end-use concerns. A senior level contact with the British High Commission in Pretoria (please protect) recently provided Ambassador Parker with documentation on the attempted purchase.
¶3. (S) The purchase application, signed by XXXXXXXXXXXX, included requests for 3 Bell Model UH-1H helicopters, FN Herstal 7.6251mm Minimi light machine guns, blank and tracer ammunition, armored personnel carriers, command and control vehicles including one fitted with a 12.7x99mm M2 Browning heavy machine gun and others fitted with the FN Herstal light machine guns, military ambulances, armored repair and recovery vehicles, weapon sights, military image intensifier equipment, optical target surveillance equipment, 620 Heckler & Koch G36E assault rifles, 240 Heckler & Koch G36K assault rifles, 65 Heckler & Koch G36E rifles, 75 Heckler & Koch UMP submachine guns 9x19mm, and 35 Heckler & Koch USP semi-automatic pistols. SwazilandQs Ministry of Defense stated in the purchase documents that the equipment was for use by the Umbutfo Swaziland Defense Force on United Nations peacekeeping deployment in Africa.
¶4. (S) COMMENT: Post is disappointed that XXXXXXXXXXXX did not disclose anything about this request to Ambassador Parker or DATT Langdorf in one of several very candid and private discussions since this order was placed. If XXXXXXXXXXXX were coerced into making the order, he might have been embarrassed to discuss it, though from his experience, one would think he would assume we would find out about it and that he might have wanted to do damage control.
¶5. (S) The array of weapons requested would not be needed for the first phases of peacekeeping, although it is possible someone tried to convince the Swazi government they were required. The GKOS may have been attempting to build up domestic capability to deal with unrest, or was possibly acting as an intermediary for a third party such as Zimbabwe or a Middle Eastern country that had cash, diamonds or goods to trade. XXXXXXXXXXXX, traveled to Iran and later to Libya, and several GKOS Ministers made trips to Kuwait, Dubai, and other Arab nations. We also understand that an Iranian ambassador, resident in either Pretoria or Maputo, recently presented his letters of credence to King Mswati to establish formal diplomatic relations with Swaziland.
¶6. (S) We are not aware of subsequent purchase requests. XXXXXXXXXXXX
¶7. (S) Please protect information on the identity of the British weapons manufacturer. The British contact providing documentation for this purchase informed Ambassador Parker that if the information becomes public, the manufacturer could sue the British Government for violating confidentiality. END COMMENT.
PARKER
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