Tuesday’s news of the defeat of the M23 rebel group by the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) national army forces was a rare bright spot for those who follow the country’s fortunes. Until this week, the Congolese army, known by its French acronym FARDC, had not achieved a decisive military victory against any nonstate armed group in its history. The nominal national forces were better known as a ragtag amalgamation of soldiers from former militant groups who as often as not engaged in gross human rights violations against the civilians they were charged with protecting. In battle, FARDC forces typically ran away from the front when faced with a challenge, often breaking ranks and going on looting and raping sprees in whatever city or village was unfortunate enough to be in their path. That changed this week for a variety of reasons, among them the DRC government’s commitment to using more professional forces and commanders, and strong support from the new Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) deployed by the United Nations’ DRC peacekeeping mission, known by its acronym Monusco. Rwanda, which has long backed various armed movements operating in the DRC, also decided not to intervene on M23’s side, in large part due to intense diplomatic pressure and the suspension of U.S. military aid following the release of U.N. reports last year detailing Kigali’s support for the group. Congolese are rightly proud of this monumental victory, and President Joseph Kabila’s government has wasted no time in touting its newfound military might.
Posted on: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 19:35:29 +0000
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