EU forces ready for action
2006-07-20 21:57
Kinshasa - A European Union military force sent to Democratic Republic of Congo showed off its firepower and technology on Thursday, saying it was ready to help United Nations peacekeepers maintain security during this month's elections.
Soldiers parachuted into their Kinshasa base from helicopters before special-force teams performed a simulated hostage rescue and showed how it could quickly set up men and armoured vehicles.
DRC politicians, military personnel, as well as foreign and local media also were shown the unmanned inspection planes and weapons the force had at its disposal.
German General Karlheinz Viereck, commander of the EU mission said: "We have tried to show you we are credible and ready to fulfil our mission."
The EU has sent about 1 000 soldiers to DRC, to prevent anyone from disturbing or challenging the result of the elections.
The July 30 polls are the basis of peace deals that ended DRC's 1998-2003 war, which has killed about four million people, and are billed as the former Belgian colony's first free and fair elections in more than 40 years.
Voting will take place amid tension
Despite the world's biggest UN peacekeeping force, voting will take place amid tension.
Thousands of rebels operate in DRC's east, and many candidates say the process is unfair and opposition parties are calling for demonstrations and boycotts.
"At the end of the month, my men will be ready to act against any trouble aimed at disrupting elections that the UN cannot deal with it," said Viereck.
The EU force has a four-month mission, starting the first day of voting, but will only intervene if the DRC police and army, as well as the UN are unable to control violence.
About 33 presidential candidates and about 10 000 parliamentary candidates will contest the polls, which are costing the international community hundreds of millions of US dollars and are the most complicated the UN has helped organise.
Commanders reluctant to give details
Commanders have been reluctant to give details on what sort of operations the European soldiers would carry out, emphasising, however, they were not in DRC to support any candidate and would do more than just evacuate expatriates.
The EU has a reserve force of 1 200 soldiers stationed in nearby Gabon but, with only one company of combat troops in Kinshasa, analysts say a successful mission would be one that does not have to act.
Some Congolese, however, believe the international community is tacitly backing President Joseph Kabila while others fear the Europeans have come ready to fight a war.
"Don't speak about war," said Viereck.
"We have just showed a few options for dissuasion."
- Reuters