HC Deb 04 March 1994 vol 238 cc938-9W
Mr. Hunter

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British military personnel have been assisting the armed forces of Mozambique in both Mozambique and Zimbabwe in each year since 1980.

Mr. Hanley

British military personnel have been assisting the armed forces of Mozambique since 1986. Early that year, the Mozambique training team was formed to advise and train units of the Mozambican army. This training took place at Nyanga in Zimbabwe, finally concluding in December 1993. The strength of the team was about 25, rising to 30 in 1993.

Additionally, a British Army specialist visited Mozambique in September 1988 to advise on logistics matters, and a short-term training team of five mechanical engineers was deployed between May and September 1992. This team increased to seven between September 1992 and January 1993.

Since January of this year, the Mozambique short-term training team of 14 has been engaged in supervising and monitoring the work of Mozambican instructors in Mozambique.