South Africa is considering a UN request to send about 1 500 soldiers to enforce a peace deal between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), military analyst Henri Boshoff said on Monday.
The deal, aimed at ending four years of bitter warfare in the DRC, is due to be signed in Pretoria Tuesday by DRC President Joseph Kabila and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame.
The South African military say they cannot deploy within the time frame laid down, however, Boshoff said.
Boshoff, of the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies, said arrangements were thrashed out last weekend between Deputy President Jacob Zuma and commanders of the South African National Defence Force.
”The generals told the deputy president that the timetable proposed in the arrangement is not practicable,” said Boshoff.
The deputy president was adamant that the timetable, which calls for the rounding up, disarmament and repatriation of Rwandan rebels inside the DRC to be completed within 90 days, would be adhered to, Boshoff said.
”The generals said the fastest time that South African troops could be deployed is 90 days.
”The important thing for them is that the South African contingent will be deployed through Monuc, the UN observer group.
That means they will be part of the UN mission.
”The United Nations has already asked South Africa for a battalion group, which is about 1 500 soldiers. This is now awaiting a political decision from the South African government,” Boshoff said. – Sapa