The 27 will extend the mandate of EUPOL Congo to the fight against rape
(BRUSSELS2) The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the 27 should adopt, during their meeting on October 26, an extension of the police mission in Congo (EUPOL) to the fight against rape. A particularly serious and widespread phenomenon, especially in the east of the country. (1). " Efforts to combat the persistence of sexual violence and impunity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, particularly in the east of the country, should be renewed and intensified” explain the reasons for the decision.
Additional staff specializing in criminal investigations and the fight against sexual violence, will be deployed in Goma and Bukavu. But his area of competence will cover the entire territory of the DRC and his place of employment may " vary according to the evolution of the local situation and security conditions ". This staff will be placed under the direct authority of the deputy head of mission in charge of operations”. Another innovation of this modification of the mandate of the EUPOL mission: the means of the mission are reinforced by a "project unit" responsible for identifying and implementing projects "in areas of interest to the mission ». THE'recruitment notice, already published on this site, takes these developments into account.
Le mission budget is significantly increased. It increases to 5,15 million euros for eight months (period November 2009 - June 2010), which amounts to an annual budget of 7,7 million euros. But this increase mainly comes down to compensating for the funding freeze over the previous period. The budget of 6,9 million euros had been extended - without affecting the amount until October 2009. All in all, in view of the issues at stake in the Congo and the size of the country, these sums remain modest.
(1) In 2008, thehe United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) recorded nearly 16000 rapes throughout the country, half committed by armed forces (national army or rebels). In the province of South Kivu alone, for the first half of 1, a provincial commission of inquiry has identified nearly 2009 cases, according to Radio Okapi! On September 30, 2009, the United Nations adopted a resolution (1888) on combating sexual violence in armed conflict and putting a Special Representative on the issue.
