The mission will move into the mineral-rich DRC once it receives the United Nations (UN) go-ahead.SADC Standby Force Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Maaparankoe Mahao said in an interview in Gaborone yesterday that even though the mission strategic headquarters is based in Gaborone it does not mean that the mission headquarters will also be here as it is up to the Force-leading country, which is Tanzania, to decide.Mahoa told Mmegi that so far six countries have pledged personnel to be deployed in the DRC when the mission starts. They are Tanzania, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Malawi and Mozambique. He said Namibia promised that they would contribute to the mission through capacity building.
"Even though the numbers pledged by the six countries are enough it does not mean that we will exclude other countries still willing to pledge soldiers," said Mahoa. Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa have pledged battalions; Malawi and Lesetho have contributed companies while Zimbabwe has contributed several units, he said.Mahoa said they have considered the issue of air support for the mission as well, but they have not asked any specific country to provide it. He said it is very difficult to estimate the cost of the mission in the DRC "as we do not know how much time we are going to spend there".He also said that since the UN has not yet issued a green light they are not in a position to know when the peacekeeping mission would start its work. But as soon as the mandate is given from New York they will go ahead and deploy SADC soldiers in the DRC, which is a member of the 15-nation economic bloc.
