SA troops stay on in DRC, Eritrea
Matome Sebelebele
23 July 2004
South Africa has extended the participation of its troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Eritrea by a year in a bid to ensure stability in the conflict-ridden countries.
The move is part of the African Union and United Nations missions in the DRC and Ethiopia/Eritrea.
In the DRC, the multinational forces are expected to keep an eagle's eye on political tensions in the country's trouble spots, such as the Ituri, Kivu and Bukavu regions, where sporadic fighting has erupted in the recent past.
The force is mandated to normalise the security situation along the Rwandan and DRC common border, as well as help in tracking down and disarming ex-FAR and Interahamwe forces in the DRC.
Relations between Kinshasa and Kigali have been cold following a regional conflict, with Kinshasa accusing Rwanda of backing a rebellion by renegade troops in the eastern DRC town of Bukavu.
Subsequently, the DRC sent 10 000 troops to crush the
insurgents near the Rwandan border, a move denounced by Rwanda as hostile.
Fighting around Bukavu, a region rich in minerals, has displaced 85 000 people and raised fears that the region might see the resumption of war.
At the heart of the tension is believed to be mistrust between the two neighbours, who were at each other's throats following the invasion of the DRC, which has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
South Africa, together with the AU, continues to play a leading role in efforts to find peace in the Great Lakes region, particularly in the DRC and Burundi, where transitional power-sharing authorities are in place until elections are held.
Meanwhile Pretoria has reiterated its assurance that it will continue to provide "a conducive atmosphere for African political representatives to meet their obligations to the people of the continent".
South Africa was recently awarded the right to host the AU's legislative organ, the Pan
African Parliament.
Source: BuaNews
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