[Viennacon]

You have a point there. haha

What is South Africa going to do? Turn CAR into a puppet state? The president is gone. It’s over. Let’s see if the rebels can turn the country around.

Oh, and I never saw South Africa going into Libya to put down the uprising there. They need to mind their own business, and stop pretending they’re some sort of world power. They’re not. They never will be.

[SeminoleCounty]

I think CFA troops are laughing their arises off hearing more SA troops are on their way. SA don’t realize this is much more serious than carjacking a white Afrikaaner who got lost in Soweto

[miliantnutcase]

I’m surprised AQ hasn’t moved it’s operations into one of these sub-Saharan hell holes. You think it would be quite easy to fund their operations with blood diamond money.

[spetznaz]

I wouldn't be that sure that the South Africans will do badly. The South African military may not be much when compared to the US military (which military is), but compared to anything in Africa (including Egypt, which is primarily good on paper only) they are easily the most capable and most professional.

Against the Seleka rebels of CAR?

No contest.

The South African military is also know for excessive violence. Some of the things they did in the Rhodesia bush wars and the Border Wars were not UN friendly to put it mildly. Also, Apartheid didn't apply to the military during active missions. It was the one area in apartheid South Africa where such silliness did not apply - couldn't apply. Stupid politics tend to die away when a team is facing fire (I have a couple of stories from S.A. military serving then on that). Finally, the troops being sent to CAR are the S.A. special forces equivalents. If a simple S.A. guard can manhandle Putin's special service people, and prevent them from entering a building with the Russian nuclear codes (the Ruskie equivalent of the 'football') two days ago during the BRICS conference, I find it ridiculous to assume a couple hundred S.A. special forces will be incapable of whooping ass on poorly trained and poorly armed Seleka rebels (who only accessed the capital of Bangui when the one armed helicopter keeping them at bay ran out of ammo/fuel).

As for softness and the need for toilets, I am sure the Taliban although thought themselves tough compared to US forces since they could take more hardship. Didn't work too well for the Taliban since proper training and superior equipment trump the ability to share a shithole with a camel.