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Defence ministers, military experts discuss peacekeeping

    NAIROBI

    Defence ministers and military experts from four African countries and Belgium started talks on Thursday in South Africa to plan a future peacekeeping mission to Burundi once a ceasefire holds, Reuters reported. The ministers and experts from Burundi, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Belgium met behind closed doors at talks hosted by South Africa’s Defence Minister Mosioua Lekota. Reuters quoted Lekota as saying that the talks were under the auspices of Burundi peace mediator, Nelson Mandela. “The central purpose of this meeting is contingency planning. Our countries have accepted to take part in a post war peacekeeping operation in Burundi whenever that should become necessary,” Reuters quoted Lekota as telling journalists.

    He noted that the peacekeeping operation under a UN mandate would only go ahead once the warring parties in Burundi signed and implemented the ceasefire and agreed on the transitional leadership. “It will be necessary before any peacekeeping plan goes ahead for the people of Burundi to agree on a recognised authority, and that a ceasefire is signed by the warring factions,” he added. He also pointed out that Belgium would not be able to deploy troops because of restrictions imposed on such missions by parliament but it would play a key support role. Mandela is scheduled to brief heads of state summit of the OAU next week in Lusaka, Zambia.

    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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