President Zuma sent the Minister of Defence to the CAR to assess the situation and advise on the extension of the agreement and the safety of South African personnel in the CAR. The result was that the agreement was extended in December 2012, coinciding with the advancing rebel attacks. The situation of the South African trainers on the ground was desperate as they had no capacity to defend themselves and South African assets they use for training. A decision was taken therefore to send reinforcement troops to protect the trainers on the ground. The Department was not involved in the initial processes, thus resulting in mixed messages in the press on what was seen as a deployment of troops by South Africa to the CAR.