JOHANNESBURG: The government announced yesterday that it had approved an African Union request to deploy 1 100 troops to Burundi to help stabilise a fragile peace there.
| I thought the Burundis were sending troops to Somalia. Now the SA is sending troops to Burundi. Does Nigeria get to send troops to SA? |
South Africa, which already has about 800 troops in the country, has been spearheading peace talks between the Burundi government and Hutu rebels. The two sides signed a ceasefire last year.
"This deployment will contribute to peace and stability in Burundi and ensure that the progress towards peace in that country is not reversed," the South African cabinet said.
South Africa, which first sent troops to Burundi about five years ago, was criticised earlier this year when it said that it would not send soldiers to war-torn Somalia because its defence forces were already stretched too thinly. |