European Union sends troops to Congo

The European Union has exploited instability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to send 1,200 troops from its Rapid Reaction Force into the DRC to reinforce the 17,500 troops there under United Nations command. This represents an open penetration of imperialist-led troops into the mineral-rich Congo.

A day after results for the July 30 elections in the Congo were announced Aug. 20, fighting broke out between the presidential guard of Joseph Kabila and vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba’s militia, which lasted for nearly three days and inflicted heavy casualties.

Joseph Kabila, the current president and son of former President Laurent Kabila, who was assassinated in January 2001, got 45 percent of the vote. Laurent Kabila was associated with the earlier struggle against the pro-imperialist dictator, Joseph Mobutu.

Jean-Pierre Bemba, who is associated historically with Joseph Mobutu and who led one of the groups opposed to the govern ment during the civil war between 1998 and 2002, the so-called Movement for the Liberation of the Congo, got 20 percent.

During that civil war, between 3 and 4 million Congolese died, mainly civilians.

Both sides blamed the other for provoking the recent conflict. The Kinshasa newspaper L’Avenir points out that Bemba doesn’t have much of a chance of getting enough votes to win in the second round set for Oct. 27.

Most of the United Nations’ 17,500 soldiers are in the eastern part of the DRC, supposedly to ensure security for the election. The U.N. commander called on the European Union troops two months ago to supply a rapid reaction force, which operates under the name EUFOR.

According to a guest column written by the EUFOR commander in the Kinshasa newspaper, Le Potentiel, EUFOR consists of Polish and Spanish soldiers. He also mentioned that a helicopter-equipped force of Dutch and German troops was moved to Gabon, a neighboring country, in case further intervention is required.

Colin Stewart, who is co-director of the observation mission called the Carter Center, set up by ex-President Jimmy Carter, and who was sent to the DRC, commented to Reuters on the success of EUFOR and the United Nations in ending the fighting. He said, “We are prepared to launch the next election since we have separated the belligerents.”

The imperialists let the United Nations spend $450 million to hold the election July 30 and will spend a few hundred millions more before the second round is finished. The European imperialists put together an armed force when the U.N. military command expressed doubts about keeping the lid on—17 members of the EU, headed by France and Germany, contributed troops. The U.S. even sent some officially “unofficial” observers from the Carter Center.

All of the imperialist powers have a material interest in exploiting the vast natural riches of the Congo, potentially the wealthiest country in sub-Saharan Africa, and having troops present puts them in a position of arranging what happens there. Their governments are well aware that Angola and Zimbabwe decisively intervened in the Congo to maintain Laurent Kabila in power during the civil war, while Uganda and Rwanda, which have close ties with U.S. imperialism, intervened against Kabila.

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