JOHANNESBURG — South African forces are hosting the U.S. military in an exercise modeled on a United Nations peacekeeping mandate — currently applied in eastern Congo — that allows for offensive military action against rebel groups.
The South African military said Thursday that joint field training begins Monday at the Lohatla military area in Northern Cape province. The exercise ends Aug. 4.
South African authorities say U.S. C-17 aircraft will participate and U.S. military vehicles will travel from Cape Town to the training.
U.S. and South African service members stand in formation during the opening ceremony for Shared Accord 13 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, July 24, 2013. Shared Accord is an annual U.S. Africa Command-sponsored, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Africa-planned combined military and humanitarian exercise that is designed to strengthen relationships between the U.S. and African partner nations.
Photo Credit: Spc. Taryn Hagerman/Army
South Africa says maneuvers will follow a robust U.N. mandate in which "belligerent forces are forced to disengage and to discontinue the armed conflict."
The U.N.'s Congo mission aims to protect civilians from conflict, notably from armed groups that roam the vast eastern region and fight over mineral wealth.
