Burundi: Troops Ready for Deployment in Somalia

5 October 2007
Bujumbura, Burundi

The two Burundian battalions that will be deployed to Somalia at the behest of the African union completed their six-week training course on this 4 October 2007.
More than a hundred trainers from the US army supervised this training on combat tactics. Ceremonies marking the end of this training took place in Camp Gakumbu yesterday.

The chief of Staff of the National Defence Forces, General Major Samuel Gahiro, thanked the United States of America for this training and praised the determination of the Burundian army to help other countries to find peace.

This training has resuscitated the military cooperation between Burundi and The United States of America which was suspended during the war that hit Burundi since 1993 after the democratically President was assassinated, sparking a wave of violence across the entire country. Theses two battalions composed of 1700 soldiers have also been trained by French soldiers.

The date for their deployment has not yet been set since the necessary logistical means necessary have not yet been collected.

The United States of America has promised to provide to these two battalions telecommunication materials while France has promised to provide transport support.

The troops' deployment was postponed early July of this year due to lack of transportation and telecommunication means.

Ten officers of the Burundian army made a short mission to Somalia in August of this year and concluded that Burundian troops could be deployed to this country located in the horn of Africa and torn apart by internecine wars.

The deployment of these two battalions will be the first large scale mission involving soldiers from Burundi. A few police and army officers are serving in Darfur under the African Union umbrella.

Source: AllAfrica