Jean Pierre Nkunzimana
20 July 2007
Bujumbura — UGANDAN troops in Somalia will soon be relieved when 1,828 Burundi soldiers join them at the end of this month. An advance team of 19 Burundi officers led by Gen. Celestin Ndayisaba is expected in Somalia next week to make preparations for the new contingent.
Ugandans have been in Somalia on the African Union peace-keeping mission for five months.
Other countries, which promised forces for the mission, have so far not sent any but a Burundi army spokesman on Wednesday said they were ready to send soldiers to Somalia.
"The troops are on standby and ready to accomplish the Somalia mission. The only delay for the deployment is logistical support which is supposed to be provided by the African Union (AU)," said Lt. Colonel Adolphe Mainirakiza.
The announcement followed a recent visit to Bujumbura by the AU technical military team led by Gen. Benon Biraaro, a Ugandan soldier.
France, Kenya, the Netherlands and USA have accepted to equip the troops and sponsor their operations in Somalia, Mainirakiza noted.
Burundi is just emerging out of a decade-long war in which the Tutsi and Hutu played a major role like in neighbouring Rwanda.
Manirakiza said the selection of the soldiers for the mission was based on ethnicity, age and the level of discipline.
"We tried to respect those criteria in order to be fair to our soldiers and avoid frustration," he said.
The French ambassador to Burundi, Joel Louvet, said his country will transport the soldiers from Bujumbura to Somalia and also provide 50,000 euros to kick-start their operations.
The USA will provide arms and ammunition, including uniforms, boots, helmets and bullet-proof jackets.
One of the soldiers said "I have been fighting rebels for a decade without earning any pay. We are familiar with this kind of war."
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