Preparations Underway to Bring Back Bodies of Fallen SA Soldiers
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is engaged in a process of bringing back bodies of its members who died in a shooting incident in Burundi last week.
The incident took place at the Palace Base in Bujumbura.
It is alleged that one of the South African soldiers who was part of the country's peacekeeping mission in that country, opened fire on his colleagues killing two and wounding four others. The soldier then turned the gun on himself.
The SANDF says it is not yet known what triggered the incident but it has launched an investigation, jointly with the United Nations (UN).
Speaking to BuaNews this morning, SANDF's Lieutenant - Colonel Louis Kirstein said they were in a process of making arrangements of bringing the bodies back into the country for burial.
"We do not know as to when this is going to happen but hopefully this will not take long
"We do not want to interfere with the ongoing investigations, the investigating team will guide us as to when this will happen," he said.
The four injured soldiers were admitted to a hospital in Bujumbura..
Last week Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota expressed shock at the incident and extended his sincere condolences to the families and friends of the deceased.
SANDF Chief General Siphiwe Nyanda and the Secretary for the Defence January Masilela also wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Meanwhile, the SANDF has dispatched a team to offer counselling services to the remaining members.
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23 Mai 2005 à 12:52 dans
- zsandf (anglais)
