DRC intervention brigade gets busy
The United Nations (UN) deployed a new 3,000 strong ‘intervention brigade’ in July to support MONUSCO operations in eastern DRC. The peacekeeping mission aims to establish a security zone around Goma (near the border with Rwanda) to protect the population from renewed fighting between government forces and M23 rebels, and has a specific mandate to target offensive operations and neutralise and disarm rebel groups. The introduction of the brigade represents a more aggressive stance for the UN, which has been severely criticised for inaction and failing to protect civilians in recent years. Running parallel to this initiative are on-going discussions between the government of DRC, its neighbours, the UN and African Union in an attempt to bring peace to the lawless eastern provinces. However, a solution is likely to prove elusive as the underlying reasons for the conflict remain unresolved, namely simmering ethnic tensions, regional disputes and competition for rich mineral deposits.