Luanda — The minister of State and Head of the Military Affairs Office of the President of the Republic, Francisco Furtado, said on Saturday that sending of the Angolan military contingent to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will happen when there are guarantees of the creation of conditions in the cantonment areas.
The minister was speaking to the press during the visit of the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, who met with the Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço.
The Congolese statesman has already returned to his country.
According to Francisco Furtado, a delegation of the Ad Hoc Mechanism, including officers of the General Staff of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA), is visiting this Saturday the planned areas, to confirm the existence of conditions.
"We think that at the beginning of next week we will have the report of this mechanism, in order to be able, eventually, to foresee an exact date of the beginning of the engagement of our contingent in the mission in the East Region of the Democratic Republic of Congo", he said.
According to Francisco Furtado, the creation of the Ad Hoc Mechanism will allow that, in fact, within a reasonable period of time, the pieces can be in place to give continuity to the process of engagement of the Ad Hoc Mechanism, as well as the movement of the contingent to the DRC.
He also said that, the areas are defined, according to contacts made with the DRC government and the M23 leadership.
He stressed that, for the contingent foreseen, two areas have been defined, which may be subdivided into zones, for the quartering of the military and for the reception of the civilian population, with emphasis on the families of the M23 military personnel and other civilian citizens who are with the movement.
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"It was only today that work began with this commission of ad hoc mechanism, coordinated by Angola, and which also includes official representatives of Rwanda that will allow us to certify that the two areas have the conditions to move the troops and the elaboration of the schedule of activities following the creation of conditions in these quartering areas", he stressed.
About the meeting between the Presidents of Angola and the DRC, he considered it very positive, since it resulted from the agreements regarding the confirmation of this country's engagement in the creation of conditions for the quartering areas.
Stopping hostilities
As for the situation on the ground, Francisco Furtado informed that the DRC government is still concerned about the need for all parties (Congo, Rwanda, and M23) to engage in the observance of the cessation of hostilities.
"In practice, there is a halt of hostilities on the ground, but this halt must be total, avoiding movements of forces from one side to another", he explained.
Recently approved by the Angolan National Assembly, the Angolan contingent, estimated at 450 to 500 men and women, should remain in DRC for 12 months.
It will be made up of a battalion of the Angolan Armed Forces and its components, whose financial resources are estimated at 11.2 billion kwanzas, to be reallocated within the framework of the Defence and Security sector budget.
