Western countries should also send peacekeeping troops to Africa – particularly specialised units – says Dutch major general Patrick Cammaert in today’s Volkskrant. Cammaert is commanding officer for the United Nation’s MONUC peace mission in Congo.

‘It would be fantastic if western countries would send soldiers to Africa rather than leave the work up to countries such as India, Pakistan, Nepal and South Africa,’ he told the paper.
NATO countries were wrong to focus purely on Afghanistan as part of the ‘war on terror’, he said. ‘Africa is also a breeding ground for terrorism. That is also why I would like to see western troops there,’ he told the paper.
It was not a question of sending full battalions, Cammaert said. ‘We need certain specialist units, such as engineers, special forces and medical experts.’ The UN was the right organisation to act, given the reluctance of the EU and NATO to get involved, he said.