SA peacekeepers waiting for UN clarification.

The South African government has said it is still willing to send a military technical unit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as part of a peacekeeping mission, but is awaiting clarification from the UN. In reaction to a UN decision on Monday to put on hold the deployment of Tunisian troops to the DRC, George Rautenbach at the South African foreign ministry’s DRC desk told IRIN that the South African support team was trained and ready, but that Pretoria “is basically waiting for the go-ahead from the Secretary-General and the UN”. The South African contribution to the planned UN mission consists of a 120-strong technical team to assist with the logistical side of the deployment. [For more details see separate IRIN item of 25 July headlined “SA-DRC: SA peacekeepers waiting for UN clarification”].