Brazilian military personnel who are part of UN’s peace troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo (RDC) in Central Africa reported to Gazeta do Povo which are protected on bases that have shelters against gum bombing, the main city of the east of the country. According to them, the UN facilities were shot and bombing during the city’s invasion by rebels last Sunday (26).
There are five Brazilian military in the city. They are part of the United Nations mission for the stabilization of the Democratic Republic of Congo (Monusco) and said they are well and have food, but they need to ration them, because during the conflict there is no possibility of refueling.
Gum was invaded by a force of four thousand military personnel from the M23 and the Congo River alliance, which are considered rebel movements. But they had training from a professional army and had heavy weapons, such as rockets and artillery obuses, attack drones, and electronic war instruments that rendered unusable UN radio and communication channels.
United Nations troops are not equipped to combat this firepower, as their mandate approved by the UN Security Council provides that they fight against militias and rebel groups and not against an armed force that has the firepower of an army of an army independent country. At the UN Security Council, the Congolese government accused Rwanda of providing professional troops and armaments for the rebels.
Even fighting with a larger and more armed troop, the blue helmets tried to prevent the advancement of the M23 and the Congo River alliance. At least 17 UN military personnel were killed in battle in sake and gum.
After the consummation of the gum invasion, where the main bases of the UN in the region are, the Rebel Alliance began to combat resistance pockets of the Army of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the city. But the rebels stopped attacking the foundation of Monusco, the UN’s peace mission.
Throughout the week, fighting in the city have diminished intensity, but the situation remains tense, with thousands of refugees trying to leave the region. Rebel leader Corneille Nangaa said the alliance will continue his military campaign until the overthrow of the Central Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The military group is now preparing to advance over the city of Bukavu in Kivu Sul.
The Congo River alliance has released a statement to the UN military and the Samidrc African peace mission ordering them to stop supporting the Congolese government. That is, when suspending the attack on the UN, the rebels may be pressing the United Nations to withdraw peacefully from the region.
The Brazilians in Gum said that for now they are promptly defended the basis of the United Nations and await guidance from the mission command to perform any external performance.
“In gum, the environment is volatile and insecure. To minimize the risk, monusco has implemented additional safety measures. At the moment, we cannot get out of the bases and we have to occupy protection bunkers, ”said Brazilian colonel Felipe Drumond Moraes.
He reported that he and his colleagues need to wear helmets and bulletproof vests permanently and that some troops are reinforcing the safety of the bases. Every time the bombing alert sounds, Brazilians need to look for the anti -aircraft shelter of the base.
“The UN prepares well the structure of its bases, to face moments of crisis. There is no shortage of supplies, such as water and food. However, during the fighting it is not possible to have resurrection (refueling) of the bases and we have to ration until the situation allows (new access) to supplies, ”said Drumond.
The UN’s peace mission is currently commanded by a senegal general. But it should be replaced soon by Brazilian General Ulisses Mesquita Gomes, who was designated for office on the 28th. In an interview with Gazeta do PovoHe said his strategy will be initially betting on military diplomacy to make the Congo River alliance to withdraw peacefully with gum.
Brazilian military say they cannot talk about political aspects of the mission. But the report found that UN Security Council members study Rwanda to stop providing weapons and troops to the rebel alliance. This pressure should soon climb to cut financial aid and eventually sanctions and embargoes.
In the meantime, the role of UN Brazilians and other international troops will be to defend their foundations and try to give humanitarian support to the local population.
The UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo is over 25 years old and Brazil has systematically contributed to the military. Since 2013, most of the Monusco Force Commanders have been officials of the Brazilian Army.
UN bases were hit by artillery fireworks during combat
The Brazilian Army stated that during combat, many bases were hit by firearms and artillery shots and face damage to their infrastructure. Moreover, soldiers from the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo who have depressed their weapons are seeking shelter on the UN foundations so that they do not need to surrender to the M23.
“Supporting the population seeking refuge on the basis and receiving the fighters who surrender have been a great challenge, as the structures of the bases are not sized to receive many people at the same time and can trigger a sanitary crisis to which the monusco has been committed to To solve, ”said Drumond.
The closure of the gum airport is another concern listed by Brazilians. They said this causes a significant impact on the mission in the face of deep lack of land transportation and waterways are little explored in the region. In other words, the only way to receive reinforcements is by air and the airport is under the control of the rebels.
“Brazilian military is very well prepared to face the challenges of peace missions, which facilitates our adaptation of a situation of peace to a violent conflict situation. We have been able to maintain fitness and psychological conditioning, “said Drumond.
“We have contact with families, through the means of communications available on mobile and internet, which, although precarious, still work, as well as through the structure of the Armed Forces Social Work, which provide support to the families of the military who are found on a mission abroad, “said Drumond.
No Brazilian military was killed in the conflict
The crisis in Congo has been climbing since Sunday (26) when troops of the Rebelde M23 movement, which is part of the Tutsi Ethnician River Alliance, supported by the Armed Forces of Rwanda, invaded gum that is the largest city in the east of the country, with over one million inhabitants.
In addition to the five military personnel located in Gum, Brazil sent ten jungle war instructors to the country in the city of Beni, which has not been hit by confrontations at Congo so far. The mission of these professionals is to enable the Congolese army. According to the Brazilian Army, everyone is safe.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was concerned about deteriorating the humanitarian situation and asked the Congolese government to take steps to control the crisis. In addition to the Brazilian embassy, representations of France, USA, Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda were also attacked.
Region is the only one where blue helmets form an offensive force
The UN blue helmets are directly involved in the fighting alongside the Army of the Democratic Republic of Congo against the M23 rebels and the Rwanda military forces. The RDC is the only country where UN troops are offensive, using artillery and infantry around the city. Despite their efforts, they failed to prevent the invasion last Sunday.
The raid has violated a ceasefire agreement in force since July 31 last year. The Rwanda government justifies its actions claiming that it seeks to eliminate members of the Hutu Rebelde FDLR group, which operates from Congo and opposes the Rwandan government. Part of this group was responsible for Tutsis genocide in 1994. The current conflict has the links of this historical event, but its real motivation is the dispute for a region rich in natural resources such as gold, tin and coltan (used in the manufacture of electronics and has the niobium in its composition).
In 2012, the M23 even took the city of Goma temporarily, but retired after a ceasefire agreement.
In 2013, under the command of Brazilian General Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz, UN forces guaranteed gum control and practically dismantled the M23 the following year, leading to the surrender of the group, which already had military support from Rwanda. Years later, Santos Cruz served as minister in the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), but left office in disagreement with the then president.
After the demobilization of the M23 in 2014, political obstacles prevented the UN from advancing in the pacification process. In the following decade, the M23 reorganized with the support of Rwanda and resumed the attacks against the FDLR and the Congolese army, triggering the current crisis.
Brazil has contributed to Commanders and Officers of the Staff in the UN mission for stabilization in the RDC (Monusco), but its participation in combat troops has always been limited, a role taken mainly by South Africa, which maintains political rivalry with Rwanda.