First U.N. Troops Arrive in Congo to Monitor Peace Pact
Uruguayan soldiers arrived in Congo on Thursday, the first members of a multinational force sent to bolster a shaky agreement to end a civil war that has racked Africa’s third-largest nation.
The 110 South Americans were the first of 2,500 armed U.N. troops sent to help bring an end to the conflict that erupted when rebels took up arms to oust the late President Laurent Kabila in 1998. Five other African nations became embroiled in the 2 1/2-year war.
“Your arrival here represents a significant step forward and is a sign of the progress being made in the peace process,” U.N. Force Commander Maj. Gen. Mountaga Diallo of Senegal told the Uruguayans.
The soldiers arrived in an Ilyushin 64 aircraft and unloaded their gear, which included assault rifles, blue U.N. helmets, four polo mallets and piles of thermos bottles for mate, the herbal tea that fuels Uruguayans in and out of uniform.
All sides signed a cease-fire agreement in Lusaka, Zambia, in 1999, but all have since violated it.
The rebels are backed by Uganda and Rwanda, while Angola, Zimbabwe and Namibia have supported the government.
Kabila was assassinated Jan. 16. His 29-year-old son, Joseph, took over, clearing the way for the deployment of armed U.N. troops.
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