Brigitte Weidlich
14 November 2008
Windhoek — GOVERNMENT will not send troops to the Democratic Republic Congo (DRC), Defence Minister Charles Namoloh says.
"Government has not decided on this issue and if, it will have to be done according to procedures, meaning that the Head of State must inform the National Assembly," the Minister told The Namibian yesterday.
Namibia is part of a newly formed regional military force, the SADC Brigade of the Southern African Development Community.
Asked if this brigade would be sending soldiers to the DRC and if Namibian troops would be part of that, Minister Namoloh replied this would not be the case with NDF troops.
"Each SADC member state can decide individually and in each case if they want to provide soldiers to such missions under the banner of the SADC Brigade," the Defence Minister explained.
Meanwhile, DTA Vice President Philemon Moongo was prevented to ask a question in Parliament on this matter on Wednesday.
"Is it true that there were differences between the former President and the present President..." he started, but was stopped by the Speaker.
"I heard that former President Sam Nujoma wanted to send NDF troops to the DRC now and had a quarrel with President Hifikepunye Pohamba about that.
"I heard from reliable sources in the NDF that President Pohamba was not in favour of sending our men there and that he wants to follow procedures like informing Parliament about it, should such a decision come," Moongo told The Namibian yesterday.
Namibia was one of several African nations which about ten years ago sent around 2 000 soldiers of the Namibia Defence Force (NDF) to the DRC in support of then rebel leader Laurent Kabila, who ousted the ailing president Mobutu Sese Seko.
Namibia's Head of State is also the Commander-in-Chief of the NDF.
Although the Namibian Constitution stipulates that Cabinet and Parliament have to be consulted on such decisions, President Nujoma did not do so before sending troops to the DRC.
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2008 The Namibian. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
With all my heart.
In the springtime, near an hedge full of intentions, I see the blackbird of a youthful day: over a bridge, near a delicate sadness, with all my heart......
Francesco Sinibaldi