Tanzania is among four Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)
member countries, which have pledged to send troops to the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC) in a bid to end a crisis between Kinshasa
government and the rebels in the eastern part of the country. This was revealed in Dar es Salaam
yesterday during a media briefing at which a communiqué was read
following a two-day Extraordinary Summit of the SADC’s organ on
Political Defence and Security Cooperation.The other countries that have also pledged
to send troops under the Neutral International Force (NIF) are Malawi,
Namibia and South Africa.
Reading the communiqué, the SADC Executive
Secretary, Tomaz Salomao said the regional community urged the other
member countries to follow suit.
“The Summit welcomed the pledges made by
Malawi, Namibia South Africa and Tanzania to contribute to the
deployment of the NIF and urged those who have not yet done so, to do so
as a matter of urgency,” noted Salomao.
He added that the Summit welcomed the
United Nations (UN) support for the deployment of the NIF through the
proposed UN Framework concept for Intervention Brigade in the Eastern
DRC and expressed its readiness to work with UN.
Salomao said the summit, attended by four
heads of state and governments noted with appreciation the good
collaboration between SADC and the International Conference for the
Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) on the development in the Eastern DRC ant it
reiterated the call for an urgent attention to the grave humanitarian
situation in the DRC.
However, when asked on the size of the
contribution from countries that have made pledges, President Jakaya
Kikwete who chaired the Summit said that aspect was yet to be
determined.
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