Burundi peacekeeping force deploys in Somalia

By Tesfa-alem Tekle

December 23, 2007 (ADDIS ABABA) — Around 100 Burundian soldiers arrived in Somalia on Sunday as part of an African Union peacekeeping force trying to stabilise the country, an AU official said.

The central African country has pledged to deploy a total of 1,700 soldiers to Somalia to join some 1,600 Ugandan soldiers based in the volatile capital Mogadishu.

“About 100 Burundian soldiers, part of the African peacekeeping mission in Somalia, have arrived in Mogadishu today,” state run Tv reported quoting Captain Paddy Ankunda, the spokesman of the AU contingent having said.

“I believe every boot on the ground will change the situation and we hope other countries contributing soldiers will take the same path as Burundi and will deploy their forces soon,” he added.

The pan-African bloc plans to deploy up to 8,000 peacekeepers to the Horn of African nation, torn apart by internecine war for the past 16 years.

West African military powerhouse Nigeria is also to send soldiers in the next two or three months.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi recently has urged the United Nations to play more positive role in situations in Somalia.

Meles admitted that Ethiopia’s withdrawal from Somalia was taking “a lot longer” than planned because of delays in the deployment of African Union peacekeepers.

(ST)