SA off to oversee DRC polls
2005-10-12 09:56
Pretoria - The South African defence committee will leave for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Wednesday morning for an oversight visit as the country prepares for its first democratic elections in 45 years.
South Africa has one of the largest troop deployments to the United Nation's peacekeeping operation in the DRC.
"All that South Africa is doing to support the peace process is absolutely invaluable and absolutely vital," said a United Nations Mission in Congo (Monuc) representative in South Africa, Mujahid Alam.
Briefing the committee members at the Joint Operations headquarters in Pretoria on Tuesday, Alam said preparing for elections in a country that was 213 times larger than Kosovo was a logistical nightmare.
"There are no roads, no infrastructure. Just a complicated river network used for transport," he said.
Lack of finances
Some $103m was budgeted for the logistical aspect of the elections planned to take place before June 30 2006.
He said more than $422m was needed to carry out the elections but with only months to go, there was a shortfall of $251m.
"The international community needs to come to the table," he said, adding if the DRC failed to find peace it would be disastrous for the continent.
The committee will depart from Waterkloof Airforce Base at 08:00 on Wednesday for Kindu in the eastern DRC before heading to the capital Kinshasa.
During the three-day visit, the committee will meet UN's special representative William Lacy Swing, Monuc force commander general Babacar Geye and South African troops in the field.
South Africa, the third largest contributor of troops to the UN peacekeeping initiative, has 1 387 soldiers and advisers in the DRC.
- SAPA