08 Mar 2006: ISS Today: DRC: UN-Supported Military Action Halted after Army Troops Protested Conditions

8 MARCH 2006: DR CONGO: UN-BACKED MILITARY ACTION HALTED AFTER ARMY TROOPS PROTESTED CONDITIONS

UN NEWS SERVICE

 

One of two operations in which hundreds of helicopter-backed United Nations peacekeepers were helping the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) dislodge militia, has been called of so that the Congolese soldiers involved can receive better training and preparation, a spokesman said today.

 

The decision to suspend the operation, in which 300 UN “Blue Helmets” were helping the army dislodge militia said to have been looting and enslaving locals in the eastern Ituri region of the vast country, was taken after an incident yesterday when some newly integrated elements of the national army protested over the conditions of service.

 

Commentary

 

Last week the Congolese army (FARDC) and MONUC forces conducted joint operations against Militia groups in the Ituri region and against FDLR forces near Bukavu, North Kivu. During the operations in the Tcheyi area, Ituri, more than 50 FARDC soldiers abandoned the mission, threatened peacekeepers and looted shops. The FARDC soldiers had to be withdrawn so that MONUC could continue with the operation.

 

These incidents have been ongoing since the deployment of the three integrated brigades at the end of 2005. MONUC has warned that joint operations with the FARDC are threatened by the actions of the troops as well as the lack of support for the FARDC. The original plan was that eighteen integrated FARDC brigades would help to secure the elections planned for 18 June 2004. Unfortunately there have been additional delays, and to date only six out of the eighteen brigades have been formed and deployed. Some of these brigades are as much a security hazard as a source of instability: ill-equipped, often unpaid and facing food shortages, they have resorted to preying on the local population for supplies.

 

With the elections due in four months time, the security situation has forced MONUC to ask the EU to make available a reaction force of between 800 to 1200 soldiers. The EU has not yet made a final decision on the make-up of the force or where it would be deployed, in the DRC or on standby in Europe (1). The decision by MONUC to request the EU to provide a reaction capability was criticised by South African Defence Minister Lekota, who believes that the region could provide the necessary support. This could be a challenging mission in view of the current high level of involvement of African countries in UN missions, as well as in the AU mission in Darfur. The burden is not only financial, but also arises from the limited number of operationally deployable troops.

 

Another option is to enlist the support of the neighbouring UN Mission in Burundi, ONUB. The UN Security Council Resolution 1650 allows for the redeployment of ONUB and MONUC troops, based on the security needs and not on an artificial mandate. The problem, however, is that the extension of the original ONUB mandate could not be beyond 1 July 2006. Redeployment also requires the approval of the troop contributing countries. The implication of this that if ONUB troops were deployed to support MONUC, the time frame for this would be limited to a period of four months, and that is inadequate. The best option at this stage would be the deployment of a strong EU force positioned in the DRC to support MONUC.

 

Henri Boshoff