The Goal Is Safe Storage of Weapons and Ammunition
Szöveg: Col. Sándor Nagy | 2013. február 13. 9:03The action program of the European Union’s EUSEC RD Congo mission gives priority to rebuilding the currently “ruinous” logistic system of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC). Creating safe conditions for small arms storage is part of this program, since there is a huge amount of weapons and ammunition in the area of the country – and it is not only the soldiers and the military installations that have them.
The weapons have not been registered for a long time. Furthermore, these dangerous items
of equipment are being stored under catastrophic circumstances. Weapons maintenance is
not part of the soldiers’ life, so accordingly a very large amount of unusable weapons and
ammunition has accumulated. These pose a serious threat to civilians, since most depots are
located in populated areas.
To address this priority issue, the Hungarian advisory team serving in the country recently
proposed that the members of EUSEC – joined by the representatives of some other
organizations – should pay a visit to South Kivu so they can prepare their proposals on the
situation for the FARDC leaders.
Concurrent with that, two weapon storage facilities and ammunition depots are being built
under the EUSEC advisors’ guidance at the military camps in South Kivu. These storage
facilities meet the required safety standards in all respects. The handover of the buildings to
the military is expected to take place in April and July.
