NAMIBIA, an ally of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is to follow the lead of Uganda and Rwanda and begin withdrawing its troops from the country, says a foreign ministry source.
“The boys are coming back,” said the official, but gave no indication of when Namibian soldiers could be expected to withdraw from the DRC, where since late 1998 they have been helping the government fight rebels backed by troops from Rwanda and Uganda.
Rwanda and Uganda this week began pulling back troops from frontline towns in the DRC in the first major withdrawal since DRC President Joseph Kabila took over from his assassinated father Laurent in January.
Rwandan and Ugandan military commanders have described the step as a sign they are prepared to give peace a chance in the vast central African state that has been wracked by war for two and half years.
It follows an agreement the six warring parties in the DRC reached at a meeting with the United Nations Security Council a week ago to begin a process of disengagement on March 15.
Namibian President Sam Nujoma had until then maintained that he would not call back his soldiers from the DRC until a UN peace-keeping force had been deployed in that country.
Nujoma’s office and the Namibian defence ministry were silent this week on the early withdrawal of Ugandese and Rwandese troops.
Windhoek has never revealed the number of soldiers it has deployed in the DRC, but it is widely estimated at 2 000. Zimbabwe and Angola also have troops in the DRC fighting on the side of the Kinshasa government. – AFP