Ugandan army to deploy peacekeepers in southern Sudan

By Emma Mutaizibwa and Rosebell Kagumire, The Monitor

KAMPALA, Uganada, Mar 28, 2005 — The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) will send a peacekeeping mission to southern Sudan, the army spokesperson, Maj Shaban Bantariza, said last week.

“The mission will give our country international reputation. UN wants to progressively use Africans to solve African conflicts,” he said. He did not specify how many soldiers would be sent.

This comes after a peace pact was signed on 9 January, between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Khartoum government that put to end Africa’s longest civil war.

The agreement was signed in Nairobi by the SPLA leader, John Garang and the Khartoum government vice-president, Ali Osman Taha.

Bantariza said Uganda, Britain and Japan were supposed to contribute a force of about 450 troops for the peacekeeping mission. He said the deployment would help to eliminate the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels.