AFRICA/CONGO DR - Contrasts between African countries and the UN on the neutral force in the Great Lakes

Friday, 15 February 2013

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - Contrasts and controversies prevent the establishment of a neutral international force responsible for chasing the "negative forces" (the guerrillas) in the Great Lakes Region and particularly in North Kivu (eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo). The creation of the force had been agreed at a summit in Addis Ababa of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).
The contrasts were born between the SADC (Southern African community of the States), under whose responsibility the force should be established, and the UN. The latter, supported by France and the United States wants to send 4,000 soldiers in the region are under its aegis. The SADC (with South Africa and Tanzania and it appears with the support of London) instead wants the task force to be entirely African without the involvement of the UN, which has already on the ground the peacekeepers of MONUSCO.
The South African military are already part of MONUSCO and other South African troops were sent to Central Africa (see Fides 07/01/2013). The South African army according to the local press can contribute to the new force with a maximum of one hundred soldiers. Too few for a Country, but alone is not able to handle emergencies that occur on many fronts open in Africa. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 15/02/2013)


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