No SA troops being sent to fight Boko Haram - SANDF

Johannesburg - The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) on Wednesday dismissed reports that it would send troops to Nigeria to help fight Boko Haram. 

"There is no such decision to send any military elements by the RSA to assist with the fight against Boko Haram," spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini said.

African news website Daily Nation reported that President Jacob Zuma had arrived in Nigeria to "seal a deal" on the deployment of South African special forces to fight the Islamic extremist group. Zuma is on a two-day state visit to that country.

Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula met her Nigerian counterpart Mansur Dan Ali earlier this week, reportedly to finalise modalities for the deployment.

In a statement following talks with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Zuma said the two reiterated the need for joint regional and continental efforts to combat terrorism and extremist groups.

"Considering our commitment to finding African solutions to African problems, we have agreed to work together to deal with these challenges," Zuma said.

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms all forms of terrorism and extremism.

This article first appeared on News24 – see here.