What difference will the extra 3000 for DR Congo make?

A number of things have happened that point to the future direction of the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). It was confirmed on Thursday, that 3000 troops will be added on to the UN force in the vast central African country. These will be 2,785 soldiers and 300 police officers who will be added on to Monuc. This came after the Security Council unanimously voted to send in more troops to “help end the conflict”. This is some thing they described as a temporary measure and that the length of deployment will depend on the security situation. The problem with the issue of more peace keepers according to diplomatic sources is that the proposed 3000 additional troops may not make much difference. Foremost, according to analysts, they will remain overstretched and at the same time the problem is not necessarily a military one. Monuc according to observers would serve a better purpose if it concentrated on finding quick resolution to the conflict, by way of a negotiated settlement. At the same time analysts insist that Monuc has to show commitment to disarming the FDLR through action. Moreover it has to work on its image and gain credibility if it is to be seen as serious. The presence of FDLR is seen as a major root cause of the crisis in DR Congo as the forces loyal to General Nkuda rose up in arms to defend their population against the genocidal group. FDLR on the move Yet as the UN decided on the deployment of more troops, it emerged that the FDLR/Interahamwe were moving to occupy the territory where the CNDP forces withdrew earlier this week in a show of goodwill. CNDP spokes man Bertrand Bisimwa is quoted confirming this latest development on Friday. “FDLR are descending on the town of Kinyondoni where they want to reinforce a Mai Mai front.” As the new force enters the DR Congo, the issue of FDLR will remain a point of contention according to analysts. And more so they will have. At the same time many will be interested in seeing whether the mandate of Monuc is revised and updated as was recently promised by the mission chief Alan Doss when he addressed reporters in Kigali. Revising the role of Monuc so that it plays a neutral role rather than siding with the Kinshasa alliance that is reported to include negative forces like the FDLR is something that many people will be watching out for. Ends