Luanda - Angola announced Saturday it will send a Contingent of troops to Support Peacekeeping Operations of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The information was disclosed on the official page of the Presidency of the Republic on the social network Facebook, stating that the unit's main objective is to ensure the cantonment areas for the M23 elements and to protect the members of the Ad Hoc Verification Mechanism.
The Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, chairs the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and is also the African Union (AU) mediator in the crisis between Rwanda and the DRC.
The note specifies that Angola took the initiative to inform the leaders of the region about this adjustment, within the framework of coordination between the Luanda and Nairobi Processes, as well as the United Nations, the African Union and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).
The statement adds that the President of the Republic and Commander-in-Chief of the Angolan Armed Forces will request the competent authorization from the National Assembly.
The deployment of the Angolan Armed Forces Contingent is part of the decisions taken by the different mini-summits on the peace and security process in the DRC, in accordance with Angola's responsibilities as a mediator.
The statement adds that the decision of the Republic of Angola was preceded by consultations with the authorities of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
