Response teams are operating at national, provincial and district levels, comprising epidemiologists, communicable disease specialists, veterinary surgeons, defence force members and environmental experts.

It would also help to demystify the military in the eyes of those who grew up under the shadow of a hostile defence force.

We have an older defence force than we should have.

We sensibly fight to keep an independent defence force.

An official in the national defence force said the security forces would be lenient with those they see as having been forced to join the fighting for specific reasons.