Pretoria - The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has refuted media reports that its troops are being held hostage in Sudan.
The reports came after the High Court ruled that Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir be arrested while in South Africa and be handed over to the International Criminal Court (ICC). He was attending the African Union (AU) Summit in Johannesburg.
According to the reports, heavily armed Sudanese soldiers had surrounded military bases in Kutum, Mellit and Malha and that the South African troops were placed in a state of combat readiness.
“There is no truth in these allegations. There is equally no substance to support these allegations.
“The SANDF did not come under any threat during this period,” the SANDF said in a statement.
According to the SANDF, the troops are continuing with their normal operational duties in the area of responsibility as stipulated in the tasking from the United Nations appointed Force Commander.
“No extra- ordinary operational preparedness was done by the SANDF in view of the reported situation in South Africa. No additional instructions, with regard to higher alert levels, were issued. The security situation in Darfur is calm where our troops are deployed,” the SANDF said.
The SANDF said the commander in the Kutum region conducts regular meetings with the Government of Sudan (GOS) Commanders in the area of responsibility, with the last meeting held on Monday, 15 June 2015.
“Good working relationships between the GOS and other forces is the order of the day,” the SANDF said.
About 1 400 South African soldiers are serving in Darfur as part of a combined African Union/United Nations peace mission (Unamid). The current group is from 8 SA Infantry Battalion in Upington. – SAnews.gov.za
