Military advance team to Kinshasa

South Africa is to provide military logistical assistance for a planned UN ceasefire monitoring mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a military spokesman told IRIN on Thursday.

President Thabo Mbeki said on Wednesday that an advance assessment team would be sent to the DRC following a request from the United Nations for a South African contribution to the proposed deployment of 500 unarmed UN military observers and the 5,000 troops that will protect them. Mbeki said in parliament that South Africa’s role would be limited to logistics and headquarters functions and would not include ground troops.

“The role of the advance team is to determine what MONUC (the UN mission) expects from us, to identify tasks and be prepared,” the military spokesman said.

“According to the latest requirements they want us to assist with aerodromes in Kinshasa and other sector HQs from where the observers will operate, and a support airfield in the Central African Republic,” the spokesman said. South Africa is prepared to provide loading teams, air traffic controllers, water purification systems and medical units.

“We’ve got the capability and are now in the process of identifying volunteers, equipment and getting the mission ready,” the spokesman said. He stressed that South Africa’s contribution “is as part of an observation team and not as peacekeepers. We mustn’t get the tasks confused.”