UN chief backs EU Congo forceLEIGH PHILLIPSToday @ 09:29 CETThe...

UN chief backs EU Congo force
LEIGH PHILLIPS

Today @ 09:29 CET

The United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, wants a temporary EU force to be sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo until a UN contingent can be deployed.

Belgium's foreign minister, Karel De Gucht, said on Belgian television that he had talked to the UN leader about the matter in New York, amid concerns that while the UN Security Council backed sending a further 3,000 peacekeepers of its own, the extra deployment would "take some time".


Both Nkunda's forces and the Congolese military have been implicated in human rights abuses (Photo: United Nations/Marie Frechon)
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"So the UN hopes that an European military force could come and fill in the gap during this period," the Belgian foreign minister told VRT news on Sunday (30 November).

The UN head believes such an EU force would need to stay for between three and six months ahead of the UN deployment.

In August, fighting broke out between Tutsi rebels under Laurent Nkunda and the armed forces of the DR Congo (French acronym FARDC), displacing some 250,000 civilians, according to the UN, joining the 1 million already displaced as a result of the long-standing regional conflict over mineral resources.

Both the Congolese forces and the FARDC have carried out serious human rights abuses against civilians.

On Wednesday (27 November), Belgium, Congo's former colonial master, committed itself to participating in any EU force deployed in the region.

"If this were a European operation with a very well defined command structure and rules of engagement, yes, my country would be ready to participate in this with troops," Mr De Gucht told reporters, according to Reuters.

Some EU states, notably Germany, are opposed to such a mission for EU forces, backing instead greater support for NGOs in the region.

NATO is also expected to discuss the matter further next week.

The Belgian minister also said he would investigate any Belgian companies involved in the Coltan trade in Congo.

Coltan, a metallic ore from which tantalum is extracted, has bankrolled much of the long-standing conflict in the region. The growth in demand in the metal for mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras and video consoles over the past decade has only exacerbated the situation.

"Tackling the sources of financing of armed groups could turn out to be more effective than any other military strategy," Mr De Gucht said.