The Commander of the Zambia Army, Lieutenant General Sitali Dennis Alibuzwi, is currently in Zimbabwe for the ongoing SADC meetings, which will lead up to the 44th SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government on August 17.

According to a statement on the Zambia Army’s social media page, Lieutenant General Alibuzwi was welcomed by his Zimbabwean counterpart, General Philip Valerio Sibanda, at the Zimbabwe Defence Forces headquarters in Harare. Reads the statement:

Commander Zambia Army, Lieutenant General Sitali Dennis Alibuzwi, this afternoon, met Zimbabwe Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Philip Valerio Sibanda at the Zimbabwe Defence Forces headquarters.

The CDF welcomed the Commander Zambia Army to Zimbabwe for the SADC summit. Among the items discussed was the exchange of Directing Staff, a programme that has stalled for some time now.

From the meeting, modalities are being put in place to restart the exchange programme.

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Defence Forces in the region have continued with exchange programmes for military students at various levels, starting with soldiers’ courses up to staff college.

Lieutenant General Alibuzwi’s visit to Zimbabwe comes amid reported diplomatic tensions between Harare and Lusaka.

On Monday, the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) had to quickly assemble a squad to face the Zimbabwe Defence Forces select team in the Defence Forces Day Cup after the Zambia Defence Forces withdrew from the tournament.

This withdrawal has been interpreted by some as a reflection of ongoing diplomatic friction between the two neighbouring countries.

Relations between Zambia and Zimbabwe have reportedly cooled since President Hakainde Hichilema took office in 2021, as he is believed to be sympathetic to the Zimbabwean opposition.

In June, during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Konstantinosky Palace in the Petrodvorets district of St. Petersburg, Strelna village, Mnangagwa said the West was using Zambia to isolate Zimbabwe.

According to a transcript of the meeting published by the Kremlin, Mnangagwa said Western countries were consolidating their power in Zambia “in terms of security and in terms of financial support” thereby isolating Zimbabwe.

In response, Zambia’s Foreign Minister, Mulambo Haimbe, said Mnangagwa’s comments were an “unwarranted attack on Zambia’s sovereignty.”

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