All South African troops back home from CAR: SANDU
Date 2013/4/6 16:14:15 | Topic: South Africa
| All South African troops have returned home from the Central African Republic (CAR), the South African National Defense Union (SANDU) said on Friday.
The pullout began on Thursday amid mounting scepticism about the necessity to keep the troops in the war-torn country following the killing of 13 South African soldiers outside Bangui last month.
SANDU spokesperson Pikkie Greef said the best information they had at this stage was that the last members arrived home Friday morning.
But the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) did not confirm the news.
South African Defense Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula announced the pullout on Thursday, saying the move was taken after the CAR government had been overthrown.
South Africa had about 200 soliders in the CAR in accordance with a defense accord with the CAR government. The agreement was to provide the CAR's army with an array of military training, from infantry, artillery and Special Forces training to logistics and driving courses, as well as the refurbishment of military infrastructure in Bouar and Bangui.
Although the troops are out, the opposition and the media continued to criticize President Jacob Zuma for "keeping Parliament and the public in the dark about the mission in the CAR. "
The Presidency refuted such claims on Friday, saying Zuma "has complied with all provisions relating to informing Parliament and the public of the employment of the SA National Defense Force."
"Allegations to the contrary made by some political parties are therefore inaccurate," Presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said in response to criticism by the opposition.
Parliament was informed of the CAR deployment. Therefore, the public's right to know was taken into account and will continue to be, but without disclosing military strategies and tactics which would endanger lives and state security, Maharaj said.
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