The Romanian mercenaries contracted by the Democratic Republic of the Congo to bolster security in the volatile eastern region, where the M23 rebel group had launched a fierce resurgence, have departed in early February, from the Kigali International Airport in Rwanda. Their departure came just days after M23 fighters overran Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, following intense clashes.
One of the mercenaries, speaking anonymously to the Rwandan Newspaper New Times, revealed that he had been employed by the Romanian Private Military Company for over ten years and he was present in DRC in order to train other soldiers.
His main role was strictly military training of government troops – teaching them the necessary skills in order to fulfil their jobs protecting the local population and the government institutions.
The soldiers have declared that their payment depended on the specific tasks assigned to them, but they will not disclose the actual amount. Their presence in the African country was usually for three moths with one month off.
They were among the fortunate ones who managed to escape the bloodshed. According to the World Heath Organization, the violence left multiple bodies scattered across Goma`s streets, with around 4000 wounded and thousands more forced to flee their homes from the North Kivu province.
As the Romanian fighters departed, M23 forces continued their advance, and in early February, the rebels agreed to a ceasefire by seizing Nyabibwe, a key mining town in South Kivu.
The fighting broke around 5 a.m. and by 9 a.m., the rebels had taken control, a civil society representative declared. Following the capture of Nyabibwe, M23 fighters confronted Congolese forces in Lubero, the administrative centre of Lubero Territory in North Kivu, in mid-February. After pushing through defensive lines in Ihusi, they advanced towards Katana, a town just 11 kilometres from Bukavu`s airport.
M23`s presence in the DRC has long been a point of contention between Kinshasa and Kigali, with Rwanda accused of supporting the insurgents – an allegation it denies.
As the Romanian mercenaries left in early February, Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhundirehe condemned the DRC`s decision to enlist European mercenaries, stating that it violated a 1977 Organization of African Union convention as well as a 1989 United Nations Agreement.
Meanwhile, the fighting between M23 and Congolese forces has claimed the lives of at least 20 peacekeepers, including 14 South Africans.
