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Nigerian and South Africa pledge troop contribution

    NAIROBI

    Nigeria and South Africa have pledged to contribute troops to the proposed UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), raising hopes of a speedy deployment of 500 military observers and 5,000 supporting troops, news organisations reported. Their role would be to monitor compliance with the ceasefire and the withdrawal of foreign troops. According to the 24 February UN Security Council resolution, security conditions must be guaranteed before the UN force is deployed.

    The presidents of Nigeria and South Africa made the pledges at a summit on DRC held in Algeria on Saturday. It was attended by DRC President Laurent-Desire Kabila, along with the the Mozambican and Malian presidents. Zambian President Frederick Chiluba sent a representative. The OAU Secretary-General, Salim Ahmed Salim, told a news conference after the summit that the two most powerful countries in Africa had made a “concrete commitment at the highest possible level, in accordance with UN requirements”, making deployment feasible. Observers note Nigeria has played a major role in peacekeeping missions in Liberia and Sierra Leone, while South Africa is yet to take part in a major international peacekeeping mission.

    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

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