Ugandan and Burundian military officials visited Israel last week to discuss deploying forces to Gaza as part of an international security force planned by US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace, the Associated Press reported Monday.
A source at the Board of Peace told the news agency that Ugandan officials had joined a Burundian military delegation and that Uganda is finalizing the details of its participation after its parliament approved the troop contribution this month.
Nothing has been finalized with Burundi, but the source said they expect to begin the process. "We have shared significant knowledge with each other, and Burundi's representatives expressed interest in our mission," the source said, speaking anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss talks with countries that may contribute forces before any agreement is reached.
A Burundian military official told the AP that three additional senior military officers led the delegation to Israel and that Burundi appeared determined to join. The official spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak with the media.
Burundi is one of the poorest countries in Africa and the world. Its economy relies mainly on coffee and tea cultivation, and it suffers from severe intercommunal tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi populations. Burundi has participated in several peacekeeping missions around the world, under the African Union in the Central African Republic and in Somalia.
