CHALLENGES FOR ‘New Congolese Restructured and Integrated Army

[Arecidea Kwilemie]

ARMED FORCES DEFENCE POLICY, MISSION AND ORGANISATION

The role of the Congolese defence forces is to defend a huge country of some 2,340,000 km²; nearly ¼ the area of United States of America or nearly twice the area of South Africa. The DRC is bordered by nine countries— clockwise from the north-west: Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Tanzania and Angola—seven of which are from time to time racked by their own internal crises.

The New constitution requires the FAZ (Congolese Army) to have a fair balance of ethnic groups, good skills, morality, exclusive Congolese citizenship and a minimum age of 18—which definitely excludes the former Kadogo (child soldiers) from these forces. The armed forces are constitutionally under civilian control, which means that the military are legally accountable to the nation through these civilian representatives. The roles of the army and of the police are clearly separated in this new transitional constitution. For the first time in the history of Congo, Parliament democratically debated and, in October 2004, passed the Defence and Armed Forces Organisation Act. By contrast, all previous laws relating to the army were enacted through the will of successive heads of state, who kept full control over the military in their own hands.

The current membership of all the armed forces to be integrated into the defence force totals some 345,000. The DDR national plan aims to demobilise almost half this number, but the integration process—which will shape the individual and the army profiles.






INTEGRATING THE CONGOLESE ARMED FORCES

As well as the above-mentioned forces involved in the defence force integration process there are five Ituri militias—the UPC, FAPC, FNI/FRPI, Pusic and the FPDC. Other combatants who went into exile will also benefit from the integration. They are mostly in the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), Angola, Benin, Chad and several European countries. Their number is estimated at 20,000. No quotas have, however, yet been agreed for their integration into the new defence force.


The integration plan requires a gradual establishment of the defence system at four levels.

• The territorial defence forces will be called the Coverage Force and will be made up of light infantry brigades under regional commands throughout the country.
• A quick response force will also be made up of brigades. It will be characterised by mobility, firepower and flexibility, and it will be able to be deployed in any part of the country within 72 hours.
• The main defence force will be organised and equipped as the main arm of the country’s defence strategy. It will comprise some heavy armoured divisions.
• The air force and navy will be developed and equipped to allow them to carry out their respective duties. The new Defence Force Headquarters’ schedule provides for:
• The immediate setting-up of the Coverage Force and its integration and training by June 2005.
• The creation of the Quick Response Force in the short-term
(2005–2007).
• The creation of the Main Defence Force in the medium- to long-term (from 2007). The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) and an international UN committee will establish guidelines for the integration of this force.

CHALLENGES FOR THE NEW CONGOLESE DEFENCE FORCE

The challenges facing the new Congolese Defence Force include:
• erasing all links with former force leaders;
• providing a training programme for the under-disciplined Maï-Maï;
• disarming armed Hutu refugees and Ituri militia;
• preventing hostilities at the Kivu borders;
• combating the proliferation of illegal arms; and
• building a republican army capable of defending the huge country.


In order to speed up the formation of the new army, the following cooperation accords have been concluded:

• with Belgium, which has already trained and equipped a combat
brigade for Ituri;
• with South Africa, which is advising on the process;
• with Angola, for training new integrated brigades; and
• with the US and the Netherlands, which have additional and different
inputs.
Senior members of the military from SADC countries, led by Botswana Chief of Staff Lt Gen Fisher, already met their Congolese colleagues in Kinshasa for discussions on the creation of a basis for the constructive exchange of experiences.In addition to this programme and with the support of several donors, the DRC government is developing a DDR plan for about 200,000 combatants and 25,000 child soldiers.

CONCLUSION

Until now, the Congolese people have been excluded from policy and other decision-making affecting the country’s military institutions. No one outside the High Command has known anything about the composition or organisation of the army, or its command structure, or its budget. Owing to this, the army did not have a healthy relationship with the civilian government or the population as a whole. The actual relationship, indeed, was constantly contradictory and was marked by the army’s repression of the population. Emerging from this state, today’s politicians—as well as the Congolese people as a whole—are anxious for change. They want to see the creation of a republican army that both respects and earns the respect of the civil authorities. The population has had a serious interest in the debates on army issues that started with the 1991–92 Sovereign National Conference, and which continued with the Inter-Congolese Dialogue and the present debates in the Senate and in Parliament.


Both the Congolese people and the army professionals are seeking to establish the army as an institution that:

• stabilises the state;
• ensures people’s security;
• protects the country’s institutions and its sovereignty;
• secures the integrity of the country’s borders; and
• contributes to the stability of neighbouring countries.

All dream of an army whose principles support the ideal of security for the population. This explains the relentless way the Congolese people are debating the questions relating to the new army and its restructuring. There is an almost universal desire for an army that will bear no resemblance to the armies of the Belgian king, the Belgian colonial government, President Mobutu and presidents Kabila, father and son.

[Aragorn]

Very good and informative post. But if DRC wants less to do with former colonizer Belgium, why maintaining cooperation accords with Belgium for combat training and equipment? And with the U.S. and Netherlands? DRC might want to work closer with African Union while continuing close cooperation with South Africa and Angola-neighbors rather than colonizers. If outside help is nescessary, continue cooperation with U.N.(although it to needs reforming and re-location to a more neutral country). Also, China has been investing extensively with DRC and on a much more mutual basis than the one-sided "investments" from the West and its corporations, building infrastructure like roads, railroads, schools and universities in exchange for allowing China to extract resources in DRC-they have well developed military and may be more helpful than western colonizers in assisting DRC military development.

At any rate, DRC armed forces will have to get busy right away as the attacks by rebel forces have seen a, as International Red Cross put it "spectacular increase" with over 400,000 civilians displaced since March:

Red Cross: 400000 displaced in eastern DRC - Mail & Guardian Online: The smart news source