Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

SANDF is going beyond its original mandate as funding delays hold up Ethiopian, Mozambican support

DELAYS in donor funding, bureaucratic inertia and the absence of a political agreement are frustrating the South African-led African Union (AU) peace effort in Burundi and could put pressure on the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).

In addition there is growing concern that inadequate facilities and arrangements for the cantonment of Hutu rebels could thwart the effective implementation of a comprehensive cease-fire agreement in the country.

Disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration, which begin with the cantonment of fighters under South African protection, are a key part of the peace process.

During a three-day visit to Burundi this week, SANDF chief Gen Siphiwe Nyanda expressed frustration to AU and United Nations officials. He said South African troops were having to act beyond their mandate in providing facilities and medical care to the 175 former fighters at the only cantonment site.

Ethiopian and Mozambican forces, which have yet to arrive in the country because funding arrangements are not yet fully in place, will help run two other sites.

President Thabo Mbeki's Africa adviser, Welile Nhlapo, who is also acting deputy head of the AU mission in Burundi, warned in Bujumbura yesterday that if disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration arrangements did not improve soon the cease-fire could be strained.

Burundi's transitional government is negotiating with the largest rebel group, the CNDD. The available facilities could not support the cantonment of CNDD fighters, should the group agree to this.

Broader Hutu-Tutsi conflict is part of the reason for tension in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Without the effective implementation of peace deals, particularly those for disarmament of fighters and either their demobilisation or integration into the army, there are risks that extensive conflict could flare up in other parts of the Great Lakes region.

While the World Bank and other funders are prepared to support a disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration plan developed by the Burundian government, the other signatories to the cease-fire have yet to sign off on this. This and funding delays are forcing the SANDF to provide more support than intended in its original mandate. Under an AU mandate, the defence force is providing security, water and sanitation for former combatants.

Nyanda gave the go-ahead this week for the defence force to provide temporary medical attention to former fighters. To those complaining about insufficient food and medical attention, he said: "It is not my problem, but I will try to do something as it could be my problem if I don't."

The absence of an agreement on the future of the Burundian armed forces could also place pressure on cantonment facilities. Nhlapo calls this the missing link in the peace arrangement. Former fighters surrendering their weapons and entering the facility would have to stay longer because entering the armed forces would not yet be an option.

Nearly 1400 South African troops protect returning Hutu politicians and the cantonment areas. An Ethiopian battalion of about 900 and a Mozambican company of 200 are meant to supplement SA's contingent, but the uncertainty over donor funding means neither country can give a date for deployment.

While South African troops are well received on the street, after last month's eight-day mortar attack on Bujumbura by rebels, Nyanda and other senior officers were closely guarded by a protection force.

Bujumbura remains under a night-time curfew. Earlier this week, shots were fired at a South African position in the cantonment area and SA troops outside the Bubanza base heard shots nearby.