South Africa employs peace-keeping troops in DRC

President Jacob Zuma has informed parliament of the employment of 1,345 members of the South African National Defense Force for service in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Presidency said on Friday. The employment is in fulfilment of the international obligations of South Africa towards the United Nations, presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said. The SA soldiers will participate in the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) as part of the Force Intervention Brigade mandated by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2098. The employment is in conformity with the South African Constitution and the Defense Act, Maharaj said. The deployment is for the period from June 13, 2013, to March 31, 2014, according to Maharaj. Zuma said the soldiers "are doing exceptionally well in the continent." "We congratulate them and assure them of the support of their compatriots as they continue to contribute to the building of a better Africa, as a force for peace," Zuma said in the presidential statement. "We are very proud of them and their contribution to African renewal and development," he said. Besides South Africa, Tanzania and Malawi have also committed to contributing troops to the brigade whose mission is to engage with rebels in the troubled DRC region. The South African government is facing pressure over sending peace-keeping soldiers abroad after 13 SA soldiers were killed and 27 others wounded while fighting with rebels outside Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR) in March. SA withdrew its troops from the CAR in April. But the South African government said the casualties the South African troops suffered in the CAR would not deter the South African armed forces from doing any other task. Zuma is currently in Angola where he will meet with DRC President Joseph Kabila to discuss how to revitalize the peace process in the African country.