More SANDF members to DRC
2003-03-19 14:46
Cape Town - Deployment of additional South African National Defence Force members in the Democratic Republic of Congo is expected to start next week, SANDF joint operations chief director Major-General Jan Lusse said on Wednesday.
Briefing the National Assembly's defence committee, he said the advance team would leave on March 24, followed by the main group's first contingent on April 14 and the second on April 21.
They were currently being mobilised in Bloemfontein, but the SANDF was still awaiting the official transport movement plan from the United Nations, which is responsible for this.
The international DRC peacekeeping operation fell under the authority of the UN, and would now focus on disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration, following the recent peace agreements reached between the warring parties.
Lusse said the SANDF's total contribution to this part of the operation entailed the deployment of 1 268 personnel.
This consisted of an infantry group - including headquarters and support staff - of 1 053 personnel, an engineer squadron of 175, a river-crossing ferry unit of 15, a well-drilling squad of 12, and 16 military police officers.
They would join the 148 specialist SANDF members already in the DRC.
Rotation
Rotation of the latest group would start in October.
Turning to the African Union peace mission in Burundi to oversee the implementation of ceasefire agreements there, Lusse said the whole operation was expected to take about three years.
South Africa would send 514 SANDF members, Ethiopia 900 and Mozambique 200, but details and time frames were still to be finalised.
Altogether 751 SANDF members were already deployed in Burundi, mainly in Bujumbura and surrounds, in a UN-endorsed VIP protection operation in support of the transitional government.
The mission was launched on November 1, 2001, and the soldiers are tasked with protecting about 78 Burundian political leaders returning from exile.
The SANDF members included VIP protectors, guards, and medical and other support staff.
Lusse said the SANDF had also deployed 12 personnel - military liaison officers, observers and support staff - in the UN/AU mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea, and a smaller group of liaison officers and observers in the Comoros.
- SAPA