Mbeki to decide on SANDF Bunia deployment

South African troops may soon be assisting the French-led European Union mission protecting civilians in the strife-torn town of Bunia, in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Defence ministry spokesman Sam Mkhwanazi told IRIN the ministry had recommended that the multi-national force in Bunia - mandated by the UN to safeguard residents from Hema and Lendu ethnic militia who have killed hundreds of civilians - be supported by 22 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) personnel and two helicopters. The Bunia support group would be in addition to the more than 1,200 South African troops joining the UN Mission in the DRC known as MONUC. South African President Thabo Mbeki on Friday sent a memorandum to parliament, noting that he had officially approved the deployment of troops in support of MONUC, at a cost of R819 million (about US $104 million). The South African Press Association reported that the SANDF contingent would fulfil South Africa's international obligations in the eastern DRC as part of the disarmament, demobilisation, re-integration, repatriation and resettlement (DDRRR) programme of the UN. Mbeki's memorandum said a total of 1,268 personnel would be deployed for a year, rotating after six months. The deployment would involve an infantry battalion group of 950 soldiers, a support group of 100, an engineer company of 175, a ferry unit of 15, a water well drilling unit of 12, and 16 military police personnel. The total estimated reimbursement from the UN for initial non-inventory equipment, personnel allowance, and logistical support would amount to R200 million (US $25 million), leaving a shortfall of R619 million (US $78 million), which "the national treasury advised ... [would] be addressed through the normal budgetary process," the memorandum added. Mkhwanazi told IRIN that the size of South Africa's MONUC contribution was on a par with its deployment in Burundi, where troops have been guarding political leaders during that country's transition period. Mark Malan, head of the peace missions programme at the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies, told IRIN that deployment of the MONUC troops in Kindu had been delayed but was now going ahead as "part of MONUC phase three deployment". "It's been a long process of negotiation to get the troops there - their main mission is to spearhead the DDRRR programme in the Kivu [region, in eastern DRC]," he added. It was important to differentiate between the MONUC deployment and the support for the multinational EU force in Bunia, Malan said. "The 22 personnel and two Oryx choppers joining the French-led EU force are going to be stationed at Entebbe airport [in Uganda]. The two Oryx choppers will be used in search and rescue missions for the interim multinational emergency force," he said. According to Malan it was politically important that non-EU contributors such as Canada and South Africa deployed troops to the Bunia force, which he described as "an operation within an operation", as it was funded outside of MONUC. The South African deployment would help "allay Rwandan and other suspicions of this being a [purely] French mission," Malan noted. Mkhwanazi said Mbeki would likely make a decision on the Bunia deployment this week.