Burundi rotates soldiers in CAR

The Burundian Army Saturday sent the first batch of 188 soldiers to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) to rotate its contingent, the Burundian army said.
“188 soldiers including 186 men and two women have left for the MINUSCA as part of the beginning of the rotation of the Burundian contingent or battalion of the MINUSCA,” Burundian Army Spokesman Colonel Gaspard Baratuza said.
According to him, the second Burundian battalion has ended its mission at the MINUSCA and is being replaced by the third battalion.
“The Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Burundian government and the MINUSCA stipulates that the rotation is operated by the contributor of troops after one year. The rotation should have happened in July last year (2016), but due to technical and operational reasons, the rotation could not take place,” Colonel Baratuza said.
According to him, the insecurity that prevailed in the Central African Republic in July 2016 could not allow the rotation of the Burundian contingent.
He condemned the behavior of “detractors” who are tarnishing the image of Burundian peacekeepers of the MINUSCA.