Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

The first South African troops forming part of a peace support mission to Burundi are to leave for that country on Wednesday, the SA National Defence Force said on Tuesday.

They are to be accompanied by Major General Sipho Binda, the first commander of the African Union mission, which will also comprise troops from Mozambique and Ethiopia.

Binda is to command a force of about 3200 soldiers, the SANDF said in a statement.

SANDF spokesman Major Niko Allie said about 1200 of these would be South Africans. They are to be deployed in phases - the last by the end of May.

Allie could not say when the Mozambican and Ethiopian troops would join the South Africans.

The troops will be tasked with enforcing a series of ceasefire agreements and political settlements.

A total of 751 SANDF members are already deployed in Burundi in a separate United Nations-endorsed VIP protection operation in support of the transitional government.

Deputy foreign affairs minister Aziz Pahad told reporters the protection force already in Burundi would be incorporated into the African mission. The deputy commander of the force would be appointed by Ethiopia.

Pahad said the mission would also seek to create conditions that would enable the deployment of a UN peacekeeping mission.

A special trust fund would be set up for contributions from African countries to help finance the African peace operation.

"We hope our other partners, especially the European Union and the UN, will also make contributions. Our commitment is there but obviously our resources are not sufficient," Pahad said.

More than 200000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Burundi's 10-year-long civil war between Hutus and Tutsis.

The country has been run by a transitional government since November 2001, headed by President Pierre Buyoya.

Under a power-sharing agreement, he is to trade places with Hutu leader Domicien Ndayizeye on May 1.