Tanzanian troops arrive in Congo

CONGO

Tanzanian troops arrive in tense east

A contingent of about 100 Tanzanian troops arrived in eastern Congo on Saturday, a first step in assembling the new U.N. intervention brigade, said a U.N. spokesman.

The Tanzanian troops are the first batch to form the special brigade to be deployed in eastern Congo following a U.N. Security Council resolution in March, said peacekeeping mission spokesman Lt. Col. Felix Basse. The unit’s mandate allows it to fight armed groups, rather than merely defend civilians.

Malawi and South Africa have pledged to contribute troops to the U.N. force, the need for which became clear in November, when the U.N. peacekeepers stood by as Congo’s M23 rebels took the provincial capital of Goma.

— Associated Press