22 January 2008
Bujumbura — All Burundian troops who will participate in the African Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) have arrived in Somalia. More than 400 Burundian troops reached Mogadishu on Sunday. Brigadier General Juvénal Niyoyunguruza is the commander of this battalion. He arrived at Mogadishu on Sunday along with the troops who had previously remained in Burundi due to a shortage of transportation. This battalion is scheduled to remain in Somalia for six months.
The American government gave the battalion logistical support and provided transportation. American marines also trained the battalion for a month. Defence minister Lt General Germain Niyonkana is confident that these troops will carry out their mission effectively. He adds that their partners also appreciated the training that these Burundian troops underwent prior to deployment.
Burundi plans to replace this battalion with another one in six months. Burundi is determined to improve its global image after its thirteen-year civil war claimed the lives of more than 300,000 persons. After the elections that brought CNDD-FDD to power, Burundi has participated in international missions to Darfur, the Ivory Coast, and now Somalia. Burundi itself, however, is still experiencing internal conflict. There are sporadic skirmishes within Burundi between the national army and the PALIPEHUTU-FNL rebel movement which has twice reached a truce agreement with the government of Burundi but has yet to put down its arms.
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