Burundi poised to join nascent Gaza peacekeeping mission — officials

Burundi may move forward with a proposal to deploy troops to Gaza, officials said on Monday, after a military delegation from the African nation visited Israel last week to discuss joining the Board of Peace mission.

Nothing has been finalized with Burundi, but a Board of Peace official said they look forward to starting the process of troops joining the nascent International Stabilization Force.

“We shared significant knowledge with one another, and the Burundi representatives expressed interest in our mission,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A Burundian military official told the AP on Monday that three other senior military officers led the delegation to Israel and that Burundi appears intent on joining.

Last week, The Times of Israel confirmed that senior military officers from Burundi and Uganda visited the southern Gazan city of Rafah as part of a “pre-deployment site survey” amid preliminary discussions with the Israeli defense establishment about joining the force.

The Board of Peace official said Uganda is finalizing details of its participation after its parliament approved the troop contribution this month.

The planned 20,000-strong force would be led by US Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers.

Troops committed remain far short of that goal.

If Burundi moves ahead, the African nations would be the latest to join the ISF for Gaza after Morocco, Kosovo, Kazakhstan and Albania made commitments. Uganda has committed around 1,200 personnel, and Morocco has committed up to 500. Kosovo, Kazakhstan, and Albania, in total, have committed around 80.

Last month, the Board of Peace announced a deal for Hamas to disarm and for Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza. According to the deal, which Israel has pushed back against, the ISF would be deployed to areas of the Palestinian territory administered by an incoming technocratic committee, and Israeli forces would withdraw.

The force would help monitor the ceasefire, train Palestinian police, and secure the delivery of aid, among other tasks.

In the first significant sign of funding for the plan, US President Donald Trump’s administration told Congress last month it is sending more than $206 million for the proposed peacekeeping force.

Much of Gaza remains ​in ruins from two years of war triggered by the Hamas-led atrocities in Israel on October 7, 2023.

While Hamas agreed to the Board of Peace’s disarmament plan, the effort has stalled. Trump’s envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner last week held separate meetings with Hamas officials and Israeli leaders, but left the region without a breakthrough.

Uganda and Burundi have peacekeeping experience from Somalia

Paul D. Williams, director of the security policy studies program at The George Washington University, said Uganda and Burundi have gained considerable peacekeeping experience through long-term deployments in Somalia as part of an African Union force resisting the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab extremist group.

Their countries’ leaderships have “shown they are willing to tolerate high numbers of casualties without withdrawing,” he said.

Williams added that, with the mission in Somalia winding down, both countries will be searching for ways to accrue financial and material support for their militaries: “Deploying to Gaza with US support is one way to do that.”

A Ugandan military officer with knowledge of the upcoming deployment said troops were being selected to go to Gaza. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to the press.

Nava Freiberg and Reuters contributed to this report.