The UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), MONUSCO, is accused of ineffectiveness by many residents who ask it to leave, but the peacekeepers of the new “Springbok” operation deployed in the east of the countries say they are determined to protect the large city of Goma from a possible rebel attack.
With the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC), MONUSCO organized a press trip on Monday November 6 from Goma to Sake, approximately 30 km from the provincial capital of North Kivu. When the journalists arrived, on a hill and in a valley in the village of Kimoka, some peacekeepers simulated the launching of mortar shells, while others lay on the ground, loaded weapons, under the curious gaze of the passers-by.
“It is a defensive position to counter any advance of the M23 [March 23 Movement]. If they arrive and cross the line, we have the necessary equipment to stop them,” said Major Eric Deshaies-Martin, head of information for MONUSCO force operations. “The enemy is towards the north and if he arrives, we will be ready to fight,” confirms Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Byabato Rweyemamu, military spokesperson for MONUSCO.
On Friday, the commander of the UN force, General Otavio Rodrigues de Miranda Filho, announced in Goma the launch the same day, with the FARDC, of ??the joint operation “Springbok”, intended to “protect the population” and prevent M23 rebels to take Goma. “Our main objective is to stop any desire by the M23 to invade Sake or Goma,” he declared, while emphasizing that this operation was “defensive”.
Sake, “an essential bulwark”
The M23, supported by Rwanda according to numerous sources, briefly occupied Goma at the end of 2012, before being defeated the following year. He took up arms again two years ago and has since seized large swathes of territory in North Kivu. After six months of relative calm, violent clashes resumed at the beginning of October between the rebels on the one hand, the FARDC and armed groups presenting themselves as “patriots” on the other, causing new massive population displacements.
Asked Monday by AFP why Operation “Springbok” is starting now when the M23 has been on the offensive for two years, General Miranda Filho replied that he was “not there the year last “. “I arrived in March and I can assure you that I am not here to escape the fighting,” he said. The M23, said the Brazilian general, “is currently progressing towards the south” towards Sake, “a city which aims to be an essential rampart in the defense of Goma”.
Operation “Springbok” is made up of Indian, Moroccan, Uruguayan and Guatemalan peacekeepers, the officers said during the trip to Sake, without revealing their numbers. The announcement of its launch was greeted with skepticism in Goma, whose residents are calling on the Congolese army to go on the offensive and drive the M23 out of North Kivu.
The Lucha citizen movement also called again Monday for a sit-in in the city, Wednesday, to demand the departure of MONUSCO, present since 1999, and the force of the East African Community (EAC ) deployed for less than a year in the region but also accused of cohabiting with the rebels rather than fighting them. La Lucha “believes that the involvement of MONUSCO and the EAC hinders the development of the country and that it is time for the Congolese army to take more responsibility to ensure the security of the country,” the movement declared in a statement. communicated.
The Congolese government also wants an “accelerated” departure of MONUSCO and its 14,000 blue helmets from December.
