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| Africa Subsaharan |
| UN approves DR Congo 'intervention brigade' |
| 2013-03-29 |
| [Al Jizz] The UN Security Council has unanimously approved the first-ever "offensive" UN peacekeeping brigade to battle rebels groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...formerly the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Zaire, and who knows what else, not to be confused with the Brazzaville Congo or Republic of Congo, which is much smaller and much more (for Africa) stable. DRC gave the world Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Mobutu, followed by years of tedious civil war. Its principle industry seems to be the production of corpses. With a population of about 74 million it has lots of raw material... The force of more than 2,500 troops will operate under orders to "neutralise" and "disarm" gangs in the resource-rich east of the huge country, according to the council's resolution on Thursday. The intervention brigade is unprecedented in UN peacekeeping because of its offensive mandate. But the resolution states clearly that it would be established for one year "on an exceptional basis and without creating a precedent" to the principles of UN peacekeeping. Surveillance drones will be used to monitor the DR Congo's borders with neighbours accused of backing the rebels will be operating by July, according to UN officials. The resolution, sponsored by La Belle France, the US and Togo, would give the brigade a mandate to operate "in a robust, highly mobile and versatile manner" to ensure that gangs cannot seriously threaten government authority or the security of civilians. UN peacekeepers were unable to protect civilians from M23 rebels, whose movement began in April 2012 when hundreds of troops defected from the Congolese armed forces. The resolution strongly condemns the continued presence of the M23 in the immediate vicinity of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, and its attempts to establish "an illegitimate parallel administration in North Kivu". |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 What - no Belgians? |
| Posted by: Pappy 2013-03-29 20:53 |
| #2 Fighting blue berets. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2013-03-29 05:32 |
| #1 The intervention brigade is unprecedented in UN peacekeeping because of its offensive mandate. But the resolution states clearly that it would be established for one year "on an exceptional basis and without creating a precedent. Well Nigel, which is it ? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2013-03-29 00:58 |