"If south africa won't do it, who will?" The "it" is the terrifying task of peacekeeping in Congo, and the question is asked, quite reasonably, by Greg Mills, a political analyst. Possibly no African nation will be able to police Africa's most confusing war zone, but South Africa is clearly the best bet. Its army is the continent's most sophisticated, and seen to be neutral. Last month, on assuming the chair of the new African Union, South Africa's president, Thabo Mbeki, declared that Africans should take responsibility for ending their own conflicts. This month, he gave his admirable words credibility, by offering 1,500 troops as UN peacekeepers in Congo, while nudging Ghana and Senegal to follow suit.
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