SOUTH Africa could send a first contingent of 120 troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as early as June 17 as part of a United Nations peacekeeping force. The foreign ministry said the government is also considering a UN request to send a second contingent of South African troops to Kisangani in the northeast of the DRC, foreign affairs director general Sipho Pityana told reporters. Ugandan and Rwandan troops that backed the rebellion against DRC President Laurent Kabila are currently withdrawing from Kisangani following recent clashes between the two armies. Pityana said a South African military delegation had been in Kisangani to examine the feasibility of sending a battalion to the powderkeg town. He said the foreign ministry regarded the pull-out by Ugandan and Rwandese troops as “a proof of the seriousness” of the foreign belligerents’ commitment to the peace process. The initial 120-strong specialist South African contingent will be based in the capital of Kishasa and will include air traffic controllers, medical emergency personel, firefighters, air cargo handling teams, and equipment teams, Pityana said.