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SA troops train CAR soldiers
13/12/2007 08:17 - (SA)
Bangui - A small group of South African soldiers are trying to turn the Central African Republic (CAR) defence force into a professional army.
On Tuesday, the group of about 60 soldiers, consisting of instructors and special force operators, took time out welcoming a senior delegation of the SA National Defence Force in the African country.
The visiting group was on a goodwill morale-boosting tour handing out presents and encouraging South African troops who would be deployed in a foreign country during the festive season.
The South Africans deployed in CAR, who would number 85 by next year, were on a mission expected to last more than three years - training a nucleus of CAR officers who would in turn train their own soldiers.
Defence engineers would join the group at the beginning of next year to help build the country's defence infrastructure.
Most training to be done in SA
Brigadier General Jan Hougaard, the chief liaison officer of the group said: "It is something different than normal peacekeeping, it is a new adventure?"
He had been in the country since September when the mission started.
Colonel Zukile Mpapela, the SA commander, said the group had already finished training two groups of officers, one in high risk or VIP protection, and the other as platoon commanders.
For the coming months, South Africans would also instruct their counterparts on officer training, combat training, beginner's paratrooper course, and special forces training.
Some of the training would be done in SA, but most would take place at the training base at Bouar about 420km from the capital.
CAR was among the ten poorest countries in the world and the South Africans were also facing a language barrier with it being a French speaking country.
The country faced widespread violence in its northern parts.
Thousands of refugees fled their homes, caught in the crossfire of battles between government troops and rebel forces. More than 7 000 people fled to neighbouring Chad.
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