FARDC's 31st RR Brigade to get assistance worth 20M pounds from EU

 

European Union and its Member States are committed to supporting the DRC and its armed forces in strengthening their capacities to secure their territory and protect their population. In this context, it has adopted, following a request from the Congolese authorities, a measure to provide assistance worth €20 million to the 31st Rapid Reaction Brigade of the FARDC, within the framework of the European Peace Facility.

On the occasion of the official launch of this support, the representative of the European Union delegation in the DRC and several ambassadors of the member states of this organization will carry out, this Tuesday, December 3, a joint mission to Kindu, in the province of Maniema, where the headquarters of this brigade is located.

According to a press release from the European Union delegation in the DRC, they will have the opportunity to meet the forces benefiting from this assistance measure.

"Thanks to this measure implemented with the support of the Belgian Ministry of Defence, the EU will provide non-lethal individual and collective equipment to improve the performance of this brigade and will also rehabilitate certain infrastructures in their barracks. The 31st Rapid Reaction Brigade of the FARDC has already benefited from training and technical supervision from the Belgian Ministry of Defence for around ten years. As with all support under this facility, a set of controls and monitoring measures are planned, in particular to guarantee the appropriate use of the equipment by the brigade and respect for human rights and international humanitarian law," guarantees this delegation of the European Union.

This support is part, according to the same press release, of a broader strategic commitment by the European Union in the DRC. This commitment is also reflected in support for security sector reform, through its program "United for Peace and Security (29,500,000 euros for the period 2023-2027)", as well as through various bilateral support from Member States. The Congolese government will be represented on this occasion by the Minister of Communication and Media, Patrick Muyaya.

Recalling that the same sum was granted to the Rwandan army for its actions against terrorism in Mozambique with the support of France. A decision that was contested by Belgium, thus denouncing Rwanda's support for the M23 rebels.