With September fast approaching and the end of current United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations set for year-end in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), there’s no let-up as disarmament, demobilisation and re-integration (DDR) taskings continue alongside a fourth Kenyan quick reaction force (QRF) rotation.
The latest DDR tasking for MONUSCO peacekeepers saw twenty-five thousand plus rounds of ammunition destroyed at a camp in Munigi, North Kivu. This DDR action will continue until next week and is seen as essential to developing a secure environment without which DDR cannot be successfully undertaken.
This week also saw the first batch of the fourth contingent of the Kenya QRF fly out of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi en route to eastern DRC, where a Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission is headquartered in Goma assisting Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo (FARDC) subdue rebel forces.
The QRF deployment, a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) statement has it, comes at a crucial time, as MONUSCO intensifies efforts to protection civilians, reform the country’s security sector and continue the DDR programme.
KENQRF4, as the deployment is known, will be similarly tasked as its predecessors did.
KENQRF4 Commander Lieutenant Colonel Simon Seda said ahead of departure his men and women were well prepared. “They have undergone rigorous training and are equipped with the necessary skills to execute this mission effectively.”
Welcoming KENQRF3 home, Embakasi Air Base Commander, Brigadier Stephen Kapkory, commended the troops for professionalism shown in executing their assigned mandate as well as upholding high standards of discipline, in accordance with the UN Code of Conduct, which contributed to the achievement of objectives set in the force’s area of operation.
Since independence in 1963 Kenya has been active in numerous peacekeeping missions under the auspices of the UN, earning a reputation for professionalism and effective execution, according to the statement.
