Peacekeeping troops ready soon

Angola is expected to announce a decision to provide troops for United Nations peacekeeping missions in the next four months, according to a senior diplomat. The country's ambassador to South Africa, Isaac Maria dos Anjos, told IRIN that Angola was already training soldiers for the purpose, and the government was expected to make an announcement in June/July this year. "Our philosophy behind the decision is to integrate the [ruling party] MPLA and the former UNITA rebel soldiers, using the peacekeeping missions to create a sense of patriotism in the army," he said. The MPLA and UNITA were embroiled in a 27-year civil war, which lasted until 2002. Under the peace agreement, 5,000 UNITA soldiers were integrated into the Angolan army. Joao Porto, head of the African Security Analysis programme at the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies, described Angola's decision as "good news". "This will help the Angolans to assume a more prominent role," he added. Porto said the announcement came at an opportune moment, just after ratification of the protocol providing for the creation of the African Union's peace and security council last month, which has the authority to deploy peacekeepers to conflict areas. Angola has one of Africa's largest and best-equipped armed forces.