HARARE, Aug. 12 — Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Tuesday urged the national army to address contemporary domestic and global security threats, including climate change, cyber-attacks, pandemics and terrorism. In his address at the Rufaro Stadium in Harare, the country’s capital, to mark the 45th Defense Forces Day, Mnangagwa said that amid evolving security threats, the defense forces remain a beacon of the country’s peace, security and socioeconomic development. “The fast-paced and multi-pronged global developments require that the Zimbabwe Defense Forces spread beyond the traditional role of defending our national sovereignty and territorial integrity from external military threats,” said Mnangagwa. He applauded the defense forces for safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and engaging in various initiatives to serve the nation, such as border control measures, rescue operations and the combating of drug and substance abuse. Mnangagwa also praised the defense forces and international partners for their role in the removal of anti-personnel mines, which were planted during the war of liberation in the 1970s. Zimbabwe has made significant strides toward becoming a mine-free country as 96 percent of the original mine-infested land has been cleared and returned to communities for productive use, he said. Mnangagwa noted that Zimbabwe will continue to work for the peaceful resolution of international disputes and to support the Southern African Development Community, the African Union and United Nations peacekeeping initiatives. Zimbabwe’s Defense Forces Day is marked every second Tuesday in August.
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