Tanzania Says It Is Ready To Take On Congo Rebels

kikwete-at-au-use

Tanzania is ready to take on Rwandan rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), President Jakaya Kikwete has said, suggesting a joint offensive with U.N.-backed, South African forces is imminent. Reuters has more:

In a statement issued late on Tuesday after talks with South African Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Kikwete dismissed talk he was reluctant to send in troops against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).

The United Nations Security Council backed plans a week ago for a 3,000-strong South African, Tanzanian and Malawian intervention force to begin military operations against the guerrilla group, which has been at the heart of years of conflict in central Africa’s Great Lakes.

“There are people who pretend to read Tanzania’s mind,” Kikwete said.

“They claim that Tanzania has no intention of taking on rebel groups in the DRC. These are bizarre people because Tanzania, like South Africa and Malawi, has troops in the DRC with a firmUnited Nations mandate.”