AU needs more troops for DRC
2005-03-16 22:29
Addis Ababa - The African Union (AU) said on Wednesday it requires at least 6 000 troops to deploy in the troubled eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to disarm Rwandan rebels operating there.
"Having in mind the current efforts of the DRC and the Monuc, the gap has been identified as requiring additional troops and we believe that a minimum of two brigades initially should be considered for planning purposes," AU peace and security commissioner Said Djinnit told reporters here.
Djinnit did not, however, divulge details on the countries to provide troops, deployment date, or their status in regard to peacekeeping soldiers of the UN mission in DRC, Monuc.
"These are really very preliminary consultations, we are going to pursue them ... to culminate with the PSC (Peace and Security Commission) meeting to receive our recommendations on the action that should be suggested," Djinnit said.
The commissioner explained that a fact-finding mission would be sent to eastern DRC to assess the situation on the ground.
"The main responsibility of disarming these groups is that of the DRC," Djinnit said.
The meeting drew participants from Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda, DRC, the European Union and Monuc.
Set to 'forcefully disarm the rebels
In January, the AU agreed in principle to send troops to the DRC to disarm Rwandan rebels operating in the eastern region of the vast central African nation.
The presence of Rwandan rebels in DRC has soured relations between Kigali and Kinshasa, which has accused Rwanda of using the rebels as pretext to make incursions in eastern DRC.
"Modalities on the action plan will be spelt out in a meeting of experts to be held by the end of the month and will be ratified by the heads of states and governments that will provide troops," an AU representative told AFP.
"There are countries within the committee on DRC that are tipped to send troops," said the representative, who requested to remain unnamed.
South Africa, Angola, Algeria, Gabon, Uganda, Senegal and Tanzania form the committee, which is chaired by Nigeria and mandated by the Libreville summit to assess the situation in DRC, the representative explained.
"The objective of this meeting ... essentially was to identify the gap that could be filled by the AU to send, at an appropriate time, a force to forcefully disarm the rebels," he added.
"Our main preoccupation is the continued presence of the ex-FAR (ex-Rwandan Armed Forces) Interahamwe, but the DRC also harbours other rebel groups from Rwanda and Uganda," Djinnit said.
"Since 1999, no progress has been made, which is a threat to security in Rwanda and DRC and jeopardises the peace process," Djinnit said, adding that the rebels number about 20 000.