Javier Solana in Helsinki: EU forces ready for Congo operation
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Nearly everything is ready for the European Union military operation to secure the general elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo scheduled for July, said Javier Solana, the EU’s foreign policy envoy, during a visit to Finland on Wednesday.
"I am very satisfied. We had some problems getting enough helicopters, but that is all right now", Solana said in an interview.
The EU is compiling a force of 1,500 soldiers to support the United Nations in its peacekeeping mission during the elections. One third of the EU forces will remain in Europe ready for deployment if needed. About 1,000 will be stationed in Africa, outside the DRC.
There are already 17,000 UN peacekeeping troops in the country. The EU’s Congo operation is expected to take four months.
Solana described the EU mission as that of a reserve. "They will not be active. They will guarantee that everything proceeds in good order", he said.
Solana added that the EU forces will be activated only if the UN needs their help.
The civil war in the Congo ended officially in 2002 after five years, but government troops and rebel forces are still fighting in the east of the country. On Tuesday it was reported that an armed group had kidnapped eight UN peacekeepers, one of whom was killed.
Life is somewhat precarious in the west of the country as well - including the capital Kinshasa.
According to an unnamed office worker in Kinshasa, residents of the city live in fear of criminals, and various armed groups and bodyguard units maintained by politicians or the state.
"Criminals in uniform. They rob houses and rape women", the man said.
The UN estimates that more than 1,200 people are still dying every day as a result of the fighting. Jean-Tobie Okala, spokesman for MONUC, the United Nations Organiaztion Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, said that illness and malnutrition are killing more people than the fighting. The war led to extensive devastation, and reconstruction has barely begun.
"Every six months, 200,000 people die. It is like a tsunami twice a year", Okala says.
Nevertheless, the UN and many other organisations are busy preparing elections for the country. The elections have been delayed several times. The new date is July 30th, when voters are to choose a new Parliament, and cast ballots in the first round of the Presidential elections.
More than 17,000 UN peacekeepers will be there to maintain order. Although the number sounds big, Okala says that in a country the size of the Congo, it may not be enough. Nevertheless, he insists that the elections will be held on schedule; the ballot papers are already being printed in South Africa."
Critics of the EU operation say that 1,500 soldiers are an inadequate force.
Javier Solana says that the number of peacekeepers is not the key issue.
"The elections are one step in the development of the country. What is most important is to continue the reforms in the country’s police and armed forces", Solana said on Wednesday.
In addition to improving the security situation, a major challenge facing the Congo is to build a fair society for the people in a land notorious for corruption and abuse of power, which have helped keep the country poor in spite of its extensive gold and diamond deposits.
Congolese journalist Amba Wetshi, who fled to Belgium in the 1980s, explains his country’s situation.
"Traditionally taking part in the political leadership in the Congo has been seen as a way to get rich quick", Wetshi says. "Politicians should serve the people. Those who are chosen to the leadership should demonstrate this."
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 1.6.2006 - TODAY |
 Javier Solana in Helsinki: EU forces ready for Congo operation
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