First Nepalese peacekeepers arrive

The first 170 Nepalese peacekeeping troops for the UN Operation in Burundi arrived in the capital Bujumbura on Friday, ONUB military spokesman Maj Modisane Masebe said at a weekly news conference. They are part of the 900-man Nepalese contingent expected to join the mission next week. They are also the first non-African troops to arrive but will be joined by Pakistanis in a few days. Masebe said equipment for a Pakistani second level hospital had already reached Burundi. ONUB Chief of Public Information Isabelle Abric said these contingents would join the 2,900 UN African troops already in Burundi. Those troops - from Ethiopia, Mozambique and South Africa - had previously served in the African Mission in Burundi until 1 June, when they began operating under a UN mandate. That mandate, which the UN delegated to them on 21 May, authorises the deployment of 5,650 peacekeepers. The troops are due to deploy to several parts of the country, especially Bujumbura Rural Province, where there is sporadic fighting between government forces and those of the Front national de liberation loyal to Agathon Rwasa. Rwasa’s Hutu movement is the only rebel faction that has rejected negotiations with the transitional government, demanding instead direct talks with members of the Tutsi community.