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Tanzanian president vows to fight negative forces in DRC under UN mission

Xinhua, January 14, 2015 Adjust font size:

Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete on Tuesday brushed aside what he termed as negative thinking by some people that his country was not ready to fight negative forces that were causing insecurity in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

"Tanzania will continue joining forces with South African and Malawian troops under the UN peace keeping mission to neutralize and disarm all negative forces in DRC," Kikwete expressed Tanzania' s position during talks with South African Minister for Defence Novisise Mapisa-Nqakula at the State House in Zanzibar.

A statement issued by State House directorate of communications said Kikwete told the South African defence minister that Tanzania' s position remained the same -- to fight the negative forces in the DRC.

Tanzania, Malawi and South Africa are part of the Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) under the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Congo (MONUSCO) headed by Lieutenant General Alberto Santacruz of Brazil.

"Tanzanian troops succeeded in fighting the M-23 rebels in the DRC and we are now ready to face and fight Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebels," said Kikwete who doubles as the east African nation's commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

On Friday, Kikwete said Tanzania will continue to support efforts to ensure the eastern DRC was free of armed groups that threaten the security of the people of Congo and Congo's neighbors.

"Any misrepresentation of Tanzania's position is done by people who pretend to read Tanzania's mind and make their thinking the truth," the president said at the New Year sherry party he had hosted for heads of diplomatic missions and international organizations at the State House in Dar es Salaam.

"It is done by people who have ill intensions against our country," he said.

Kikwete said the government of Tanzania will continue to contribute to the United Nations peace keeping efforts whenever the country was requested to do so.

He said currently Tanzania has contributed over 3,000 troops to the UN peace keeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Darfur and Lebanon.

"Tanzania is the 6th contributor of military and police peacekeepers in Africa and 12th globally," said the head of state.

Kikwete said in making this noble contribution, Tanzania was advancing both its foreign policy objective and upholding the ideals of the United Nations organization.

"I promise continued contribution to UN peace keeping efforts whenever requested to do so," he said. Endi