Congo sends 30 soldiers on peace mission in Central African Republic

BRAZZAVILLE, May 31 (Xinhua) -- The Republic of Congo has sent a platoon of soldiers to Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic, as part of the international peace mission.

The 30 Congolese soldiers left Congolese capital Brazzaville on Thursday under the auspices of the Mission for Peace Consolidation in Central Africa (MICOPAX), an official source said.

Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso had previously promised to reinforce the Congolese contingent to maintain order in Bangui.

The Congolese president vowed to send 200 additional soldiers next week to the 150 soldiers already deployed in Bangui.

The head of the delegation, Francois Ossele, affirmed that another platoon of 150 security personnel, mostly police officers and gendarmes, will be heading to Bangui in a week.

The Congolese president returned to Brazzaville on Monday evening from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he had taken part in the African Union's Golden Jubilee celebrations. He said Congo's decision to send additional soldiers is part of the commitment by the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) to have 2, 000 officers for rapid intervention.

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