http://news.yam.com/afp/international/200712/20071224093851.html
非盟蒲隆地軍隊　抵達索馬利亞協助維持和平
法新社╱張仲琬 2007-12-24 13:35     

 
（法新社索馬利亞摩加迪休二十三日電）非洲聯盟官員表示，一百名左右的非盟蒲隆地維和軍隊今天抵達索馬利亞，協助穩定戰火燎原的索馬利亞。　

約一千六百名士兵的烏干達軍隊已駐守局勢緊張的索馬利亞首都摩加迪休，蒲隆地承諾將加入烏干達的行列，於索國部署一千七百名士兵。

非盟發言人安昆達上尉說：「約有一百名的蒲隆地士兵今天已經抵達摩加迪休，參與非洲索馬利亞維和任務。」

他告訴法新社：「我相信每個踏上索國的士兵，都會造成情勢轉變。希望其他國家能夠跟隨蒲隆地的步伐，盡速部署軍隊。」

　　由衣索比亞支持的索國政府軍與反抗軍昨天晚間於摩加迪休爆發衝突，造成四人死亡，蒲隆地軍隊於衝突發生數小時後隨即抵達索國。

蒲國軍隊發言人陸軍中校曼尼拉吉沙於首都布松布拉表示，明天將會有另一批同樣規模的蒲國部隊抵達摩加迪休。

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071223/wl_afp/somaliaunrestafricanunionburundiforce_071223181934
Burundi peacekeepers arrive in Somalia: AU

Sun Dec 23, 1:21 PM ET

MOGADISHU (AFP) - Around 100 Burundian soldiers arrived in Somalia on Sunday as part of an African Union peacekeeping force trying to stabilise the war-torn country, an AU official said.

The tiny central African country has pledged to deploy a total of 1,700 soldiers to Somalia to join some 1,600 Ugandan soldiers based in the volatile capital Mogadishu.

"About 100 Burundian soldiers, part of the African peacekeeping mission in Somalia, have arrived in Mogadishu today," said Captain Paddy Ankunda, spokesman for the AU contingent.

"I believe every boot on the ground will change the situation and we hope other countries contributing soldiers will take the same path as Burundi and will deploy their forces soon," he told AFP.

The troops arrived hours after overnight fighting between Ethiopia-backed Somali government troops and insurgents left four people dead in the capital.

In Bujumbura, Burundian army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Adolphe Manirakiza said another group of the same size would arrive in Mogadishu on Monday.

"This team is tasked with preparing the ground for the arrival of the first Burundian battalion consisting of 800 men, which will be deployed in Somalia with its command within two weeks," he told AFP.

"The second Burundian battalion, also of 800 men, will be deployed in January 2008 if the countries supporting us honour their commitments," he added.

The African Union plans to deploy up to 8,000 peacekeepers to the Horn of African nation, torn apart by internecine war for the past 16 years.

West African military powerhouse Nigeria is also to send soldiers in the next two or three months.

The United Nations estimates that since February 600,000 civilians have been displaced and thousands of others killed since the Somali government, backed by Ethiopian troops, forced out Islamist forces in January.

But a senior Somali foreign ministry official Osman Mohamed Adam told AFP Sunday that the UN figures painted an exaggeratedly bleak picture of the situation in his country.

Ethiopian Prime Minster Meles Zenawi on Thursday also said the United Nations was exaggerating the security and humanitarian emergency in Somalia.

Numerous bids to restore stability in Somalia since dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted in 1991 have failed because of clan warfare and unrest.