South African Major General Sipho Binda, commander of the African Union (AU) peacekeeping force for Burundi, will head for Bujumbura on Wednesday, says a South African defence ministry spokesperson.
”General Binda and his headquarter staff of about 20 will leave for Burundi on Wednesday,” ministerial spokesperson Sam Mkwanazi said on Tuesday.
Mkwanazi insisted that the date for the full deployment of the African Union troops and their exact number had not been officially announced.
”All we have on this is what has been bandied about in the media,” he said.
”Neither the minister nor any official spokesman has made any announcement on this.”
On April 14, nevertheless, senior Burundian defence Bujumbura: ”A preliminary contingent of the African Force will arrive on April 24 and towards the end of May forces will be deployed that will allow one or two cantonment sites (for rebels) to be made secure.”
Diplomatic sources in Pretoria said on Tuesday that the forces, comprising units from South Africa, Ethiopia and Mozambique, were expected in Bujumbura in time for the inauguration on April 31 of Deputy President Domitien Ndayizeye as head of state.
The Hutu leader is due to to take over as president from Tutsi leader Jean-Pierre Buyoya for the second half of a three-year transition period agreed at Arusha, Tanzania, in 2001.
”At the very least there should be enough forces to contain rebel fighters in one camp,” said an African diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity.
”Until this happens the continuing clashes with rebels looking for food are unavoidable. This further undermines the Burundians’ faith in the Arusha process.”
South Africa has the financial means to deploy the 1 200 forces it has promised now and wait to be refunded when the donor money comes into the special fund created by the AU for this operation, military sources said.
Ethiopia on the other hand needs immediate payment before it can deploy the four companies of men — about 600 troops — it has committed.
Mozambique, which is supplying only one company, is also cash-strapped, the sources said. – Sapa-AFP