{The UK is to train troops for a major peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.}
A team of soldiers from Northern Ireland are about to deploy to Malawi in south east Africa to lead the training operation ahead of deployment by international troops in the strife-torn region.
The Malawi Defence Forces are expected to take control of a large swathe of the Congo where the UN has sanctioned offensive operations to dislodge Rwandan rebel forces operating in the eastern provinces.
Major Alasdair Hempenstall from the Royal Scots Borderers said: “We will be working in difficult terrain and to a tight schedule with a vast amount of operational expertise to pass over.
“The Malawian soldiers are well organised and highly trained and keen to play their role in bringing peace across the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).”
Around 20 soldiers based in Northern Ireland from the Scots Borders and the Second Battalion the Rifles will travel to Malawi soon and will spend two months in Africa, the MoD said. They have recent experience in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Iraq.
The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) has been active in the mineral-rich part of east Congo since fleeing across the Rwandan border after the 1994 genocide.
The FDLR, some of whose commanders are wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, failed to meet a January 2 deadline set by the UN to disarm.
belfasttelegraph
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