January 26 - February 1, 2015

FARDC and MONUSCO got the green light for military operations against FDLR

Private independent newspapers

News of Rwanda, 29th January 2015, originally in French

“FARDC-MONUSCO: Feu vert pour les opérations militaires ‘Sokola2‘ du désarmement des FDLR” by Gahiji Innocent ( “FARDC-MONUSCO: Green light for military operations ‘Sokola2’ to disarm FDLR”)

• On January 29, in Beni (DRC), the FARDC commander Gen. Didier Etumba, confirmed that his army got the green light to launch joint military operations with MONUSCO against FDLR. “Today we are launching the new operation against FDLR to force them to lay down their arms. And we got the support of MONUSCO for these operations,“ said Gen. Etumba and added that FDLR was estimated to have a few over one thousand combatants.
  
• We agreed with MONUSCO that we will act solely jointly on the tactical and operational level as well as on the strategical level. This operation against FDLR is established within operations ´Sokola2‘,“ revealed Gen. Etumba.
  
• According to MONUSCO commander Gen. Santos Cruz, “MONUSCO will use all tools being available and being in accord with its mandate to support FARDC to disarm FDLR.“
  
• Some people do not believe that this operation will be succesful. They refer to certain sources which confirm that both FARDC and Congolese citizens are aiding the FDLR combatants to hide and put on as civilians.
  
• The new US ambassador in Rwanda, Erica Barks Ruggles, said that the US “take the FDLR problem seriously and watch its development through reports in UNSC.“ She also confirmed that the US Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region would soon visit Rwanda to discuss the problem with Rwandan officials.