President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday said that South Africa would continue to support peace operations in Africa under the UN and the AU missions.
Ramaphosa said this at an event in Cape Town to mark the National Armed Forces Day which falls on Feb. 21.
South Africa’s national defence force “is a source of enduring pride” whether it is engaging in anti-piracy patrols in the Mozambique Channel, doing border patrols or participating in peace-keeping missions on the African continent, Ramaphosa said.
The South African National Defence (SANDF) has been involved in international peacekeeping missions on the continent, notably in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) under the UN Stabilisation Mission.
The SANDF currently has around 1,200 troops in the DRC and is also part of the Force Intervention Brigade together with Tanzanian and Malawian troops.
In addition, the SANDF provides humanitarian assistance and disaster relief under General Military Assistance operations both in the country and in the Southern African Development Community region, Ramaphosa said.
(Xinhua/NAN)