The first 149 Blue Helmets of a Beninese battalion arrived on 15 April 2006 in Kalemie, North of Katanga. They are the first elements of a new battalion that will be based in DR Congo and count 750 soldiers in total.
The remaining soldiers of the Beninese battalion are due to arrive between 25 and 28 April 2006.
The Security Council Resolution 1635, adopted on 28 October 2005, authorizes an increase of military personnel for MONUC by 300 staff. This will allow for a deployment of an infantry battalion to Katanga.
Katanga has been facing severe security problems and a humanitarian crisis for several months. The province has a surface of 500.000 km2, similar to the size of France.
In October 2005, the FARDC launched an attack against indigenous groups of Mai-Mai combatants who are preventing the implementation of a local authority. The fights led to the displacement of the population in a region that is still troubled by the last war. The displaced persons have no shelter and little food and find themselves far-off the voter registration centres where they had registered for the elections.
Protecting the civilian population
The main mission objective of the Beninese battalion will be to create a stable security environment for the elections. Tasks will include protecting the local population, securing humanitarian actions, backing the electoral process, and cooperating with the government to disarm negative forces.
Until November 2005, MONUC’s presence in Katanga was limited to a Uruguayan company based in Kalemie, as well as 10 military observer teams who were not armed.
In December 2005, a South-African company was deployed to Lubumbashi to support the electoral process.
Having reached the end of its mission, the Uruguayan company has left the DR Congo and is now being replaced by the Beninese battalion in Katanga.
The remaining soldiers of the Beninese battalion are due to arrive between 25 and 28 April 2006. It will consist of one company that is equipped with 12 armoured vehicles, as well as three motorized companies with all-terrain trucks.
Fast deployment of troops
In a first phase, two companies will be deployed to Kalemie and two others to Manono where 80 military personnel have already been deployed. The two locations were chosen because of their airstrips where wide-bodied aircrafts can land. This will allow a fast deployment of additional troops, if required.
The 1,000 Blue Helmets will be stationed in Katanga by early May 2006, where they will help improve the security situation, along with a Pakistani battalion. They are backed by a South African helicopter unit and have access to a Jordanian-managed military hospital.
The Blue Helmets will operate jointly with FARDC forces that are already present in the province.