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EUFOR Lauded for Their 'Remarkable Work'

United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa)
NEWS
December 8, 2006
Posted to the web December 8, 2006

By Eoin Young
Kinshasa
EUFOR, the European force which was mandated to assist MONUC in securing the
historic DRC elections, was lauded for their 'remarkable work' at their final
press conference in Kinshasa on December 7, 2006, on the eve of their departure
from the country.
William Swing, the UN Special Representative to the Secretary General in the
DRC, lauded EUFOR for their 'remarkable work'.
"This was done with great professionalism in cooperation with MONUC, especially
in relation to the unrest of August 20 to 22, as well as their participation in
the mixed patrols, as part of the 'Kinshasa, city without weapons' objective,"
he said.
In response, EUFOR operations commander Karlheinz Vierick expressed his
gratitude to the Congolese people, and to MONUC.
"We wish to thank the Congolese people who welcomed us here, and also to MONUC
for being an exceptional partner. We were proud to be here, to accompany the
Congolese towards a new future."
EU Special Representative for the Great Lakes, Aldo Ajello, said that EUFOR
were not an 'autonomous force' in the DRC.
"EUFOR came here at the request of the UN, and only intervened at MONUC's
request, and the role they played was one of dissuasion, in order to discourage
any potential troublemakers. Apart form the August violence, EUFOR did not need
to intervene."
The issue of the reform of the security sector, and how the international
community could help the new DRC government achieve this, was the main theme of
the conference.
Mr. Swing made the distinction between the end of the transition (marked by the
election of a new president), and the tasks of the transition, which have not
yet been completed.
"The reform and integration of the army is one of these tasks. 15 brigades have
gone through the brassage* process, but three remain. There is also no
administrative structure to assure the payment of troop wages and rations."
"The FARDC has an important role to play in the future of the country. But they
need financial, technical and training assistance, as at present they are one
of the main violators of human rights in the country," he explained.
Mr. Ajello also affirmed that the international community would support the DRC
in partnership, citing the reform of the security sector as one of the most
pressing challenges for the fledgling DRC government.
"The FARDC are often badly paid, or not paid at all, many are poorly educated
and lack proper equipment. This needs to be changed, because if there is no
Republican army, the country becomes a no mans land."
He went on to say that with the end of the transition, there is now 'a new
model of partnership and open dialogue'.
"The EU, through the EUSEC programme will continue to assist the DRC in the
reform of the security sector. We are also committed to short term projects
that can make a difference," Mr. Ajello concluded.
*Brassage is the national disarmament, training and reintegration of various ex
DRC combatants into the national army - the FARDC.


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