Search
  1. Home
  2. East Africa
  3. Burundi

The Netherlands provides US $ 3.6 million for defence forces

[South Africa] South African Soldiers. Pretoria News
The SADC brigade is expected to be ready by the end of this year
    NAIROBI
    The Netherlands government has agreed to grant at least 40 million rand (US $3.6 million) to support the 701 South African troops in Burundi, news organisations reported on Wednesday. South Africa's secretary of defence, January Masilela, and The Netherlands ambassador to South Africa, Laetitia van den Assum, signed the agreements on Tuesday in Pretoria, the capital. The South African news agency, SAPA, quoted Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota as say Belgium, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the US have also promised financial aid for his troops. South African President Thabo Mbeki told parliament recently that it would cost about 1.5 billion rand ($134.5 million) per year to deploy the troops, for which donor funds had been negotiated. Eventually, South Africa plans to deploy 1,431 troops - as part of a multinational peacekeeping force, SAPA reported. Ghana, Senegal and Nigeria are considering contributions to this effort. South African troops were deployed to Bujumbura in October to protect returning exiled Burundian politicians who are taking part in a three-year power-sharing government that was installed on 1 November.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join