An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir June 2018 www.dfmagazine.ie 34 | By COMDT MIChAEl hOSBACK T he UN Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Re- public of the Congo (MONUSCO) was launched on 1st July 2010 as a successor to the MONUC mission. It is authorised to use all necessary means to carry out its mandate to protect civilians, humanitarian personnel and human rights defenders under imminent threat of physical violence, and to support the government of the Demo- cratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in its stabilisation and peace consolidation efforts. Uniquely, MONUSCO is the only current UN operation in which the 'force intervention brigade' concept is utilised. The Force Intervention Brigade is a force commander's asset that is designed to enable the conduct of offensive operations against armed elements threatening safety and security. External interference in the DRC's affairs has been a consistent feature of the country's history, mainly driven by the goal of accessing the country's huge wealth of natural resources. (A Congolese mine produced the uranium for the Manhattan Project, which developed the first atomic bomb, and today Congo is one of the world's leading producers of coltan, a metallic ore used in the production of smart- phone technology, laptops, tablets and electric cars.) After the Rwandan genocide, which had security implications spilling over the border into the DRC, various government, rebel and armed group elements continued to battle for control of these resources in a conflict that eventually became known as the Great War in Africa. It eventually involved nine sub-Saharan countries and resulted in the deaths of an estimated six million people. MONUC's and subsequent MONUSCO mandates were enacted to enforce the peace terms that ended that conflict. Ireland first contributed to UN peacekeeping opera- tions in the Congo in 1960 when 32 Inf Bn was deployed in response to a UN request for participation in a peacekeep- ing mission after violence erupted following Congolese independence from Belgium and the secession of Katanga, a mineral-rich province in southern Congo, from the new state. This was the first large-scale overseas mission for the Defence Forces and the significance of the deploy- ment to both the DF and the country has been widely referenced in recent years with the well-deserved recogni- tion of Congo veterans. DF personnel have served in all subsequent Congo missions. As a result the Congo has taken its place in the psyche of the Defence Forces. One of the most rewarding elements of the latest deployment to the area is being able to put a place to names like Lubumbashi (formerly Elisabethville, and the location of the Battle of the Tunnel) and Likasi (for- merly Jadotville). Irish troops serving with MONUSCO have also visited the site of the Niemba massacre. There are currently four Irish personnel deployed to the mission area, but downsizing as a result of budget reduc- tions and other considerations means this will shortly be reduced to three. All Irish personnel are deployed in Goma in eastern DRC, which borders Rwanda and has been the scene of numerous instances of intense fighting over the past 15 years. A commandant is employed as Deputy Chief of the Joint Operations Centre (JOC), which is responsible for the co- ordination of military and civilian (UN civilians and other agencies) operations, reporting directly to the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General. The JOC also has a specific and critical role in crisis management response. This is normally related to an event involving an attack by armed elements on UN personnel or members of the civilian population when the mission response will need to be co-ordinated directly with New York. Another JOC task involves responding to eruptions of the Nyiragongo Volcano, on whose slopes Goma sits. This re- sponse has been required twice in the past number of years. Two captains are employed in the G2 cell. One works as an armed group analyst, providing critical real-time infor- mation to the mission leadership on the most significant armed group currently operating in eastern Congo. In recent months, particularly as the security situation has deteriorated, this appointment and the presence of a sub- ject matter expert has been critical to the formulation of MONUSCO's response to a number of critical incidents. The other G2 captain is an artillery-specific appointment whose role is that of Targeting Officer in the Intelligence, Surveillance, Targeting and Reconnaissance Cell. This is a highly technical appointment that requires detailed knowl- Capt Eoin Murphy pictured in MONUSCO DRC in November 2017.

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