Armed troops to form part of peace mission to the DRC

Armed soldiers would form part of a South African peace support mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Africa's National Defence Force (SANDF) chief, General Siphiwe Nyanda, said on Tuesday. "We envisage sending a company, that's about 150 soldiers, to act as a protection elementfor the specialist SANDF members who are ready to go to the DRC." Brig-Gen Sindane, Personal Staff Officer to Nyanda told IRIN on Wednesday.

In June the cabinet approved the participation of 165 specialised SANDF members in the United Nations Organisation in the DRC (MONUC). None of them were to take arms. The SANDF had since expressed its concern about their safety, a feeling that was echoed by members of the parliamentary portfolio committee on defence.

It's unclear when the specialists, and their protection force would be deployed in the DRC. One of the biggest stumbling blocks to date has been President Laurent Kabila's decision that South Africans would not be welcome in his country, he accused South Africa of aiding the Rwandan and Ugandan backed rebels he is fighting. The deployment of UN peacekeepers in the DRC has also been held up by Kabila's refusal to allow such a force free rein in his country.

But these obstacles appear to have been overcome with Kabila agreeing recently to the proposed UN deployment. Analysts told IRIN that Kabila may be under pressure from his allies, principally Zimbabwe and Angola to move the peace process along so they can pull-out of what has become a costly intervention, particularly for Zimbabwe. Confirming the change in attitude on the part of the DRC government, the Congolese Charges d'Affaires in Pretoria Francois Nkuna told IRIN on Wednesday: "As part of a wider peacekeeping initiative South Africa is welcome in our country, we don't have a problem with that".

Although the new South African commitment appears small, Cedric de Coning of the Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) told IRIN that the 150 troops would only be guarding specialist airport workers and engineers. "The UN wants to deploy 5,000 troops to protect 500 observers, but that force would be involved in much more dangerous work on the front lines between the warring groups," he said.

Defence chiefs from six African countries and rebel groups fighting in the DRC signed a deal in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, earlier this month in which they agreed to pull their forces back at least 15 km their from frontline positions. Under the deal, countries are to begin the withdrawal on 15 December, according to Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Stan Mudenge. The combatants will have 45 days thereafter to withdraw the 15 km, Mudenge said. The belligerents would then be responsible for policing the peace, which would be monitored by the UN mission.

South Africa has two battalions of about 1,200 soldiers ready to deploy in the DRC under MONUC if necessary, South African defence ministry spokesman Sam Mkwanazi told IRIN on Wednesday. "We want to show all concerned that we're serious about peace in the DRC, we could sustain a battalion there, but someone needs to help pay for it," he said.