Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Gabon actu
Published on 2024-03-07 16:14:22
A military cooperation agreement with the Democratic Republic of Congo was approved this week by Moscow. An announcement made on the official Russian government website on Tuesday, but few details have emerged so far about the form this cooperation would take.
The announcement of this project was made on Tuesday, March 5 on the legal information website of Russia. The statement indicates that “the Russian government approved the draft military cooperation agreement with the DRC, presented by the Russian Ministry of Defense in coordination with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
It specifically states that the agreement provides for joint exercises, visits by warships and combat aircraft, military training, and other forms of cooperation. On the Congolese side, no further information is available at the moment.
Minister of Defense of the Congo visited Moscow nearly two years ago in August 2022, which sparked speculation about a possible use of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner to tackle the persistent insecurity in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
These speculations were denied by President Félix Tshisekedi a few months later. When asked about the issue, he told the press, “I know it’s fashionable now, but no, we don’t need to use mercenaries.” Unlike several other African countries.
For the past year, two private military companies have been operating alongside the Congolese army in the east of the country. One led by a Frenchman, the other by a Romanian citizen: they are officially responsible for training and supporting the Congolese army. When asked about their presence a few months ago, President Tshisekedi specified that they are coaches and not mercenaries.
Moreover, the DRC has resumed its military cooperation with the United States by signing an agreement in 2020, which includes, among other things, training Congolese officers in the United States. The former U.S. ambassador at the time clarified that through this agreement, Washington was providing military support to eradicate armed groups in the east of the DRC.
Source: rfi.fr
Read the original article(French) on Gabon Actu
