TANZANIA: HIV/AIDS threatens SADC armies

HIV/AIDS is now a serious problem threatening the existence of in Southern African armies, Major General Sande Ligate, Navy Commander in the Tanzania People's Defence Forces (TPDF), announced on Sunday.

Ligate was opening a two-day Inter-state Defence and Security Committee (IDSC) meeting for Southern African Development Community (SADC) personnel, the 'Daily News' reported. He called on SADC members to lay strategies to contain the spread of the disease to save the army from losing highly trained personnel, the report added.

"The rate of infection is very high and we need to have concrete measures to combat it," he was quoted as saying. A member of the Tanzanian delegation was reported as saying if the trend was not reversed, African armed forces would have to spend a fortune to recruit and train officers to replace those dying of HIV/AIDS.

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