They don't call for secession because they don't need to secede from something they are not part of. those who want to be part of it want it to be their own pie, not piece of the pie, but all of the pie. Nationalism and the Congo is a paper tiger, one crafted by Westerners seeking to make something of the region to turn a profit and members of the region seeking the same. Go back and read some of the material from the early days (1960s) when the "country" was described as Spanish Moss--roots in the air and none in the ground. The US, Belgium, France, and to a lesser degree the UK has poured money into the Congo basin and built nothing more spotty framework for a state, not a state.Originally Posted by Michael F
About the Zairian armed forces (FAZ, Gaci and DSP in logical order), these were mostly used as a security force inside the country. These were ment more to police the country/regime than they were actually defending it against external agressions. In that respect, they were "elite". Officers were recruited in function of their loyalty, not their military capacity. Like the Presidential guard today (see events in Kinshasa of March 2007), they were really good in scaring the population but unable to fight decently despite well paid.
Sure and they remain the same. I have talked with US advisors who accompanied the FAZ on the great march into Angola. The FAZ splt when the first artillery shells impacted. As for elite, that moniker has been used since the 60s; it has never meant a damn thing other than a sense of privelege.
Depends on era. In the 1970s the threat was against Shaba. Others wanted to see Brazza as a threat but that was silly at best. All of that aside, we still built an army with an armor brigade, a parachute brigade, a large air force, and a brown water navy--none of which was really capable of fighting an armed opponent despite whatever threat might be out there. The truth is they were incapable of defending or attacking an armed opponent because they have nothing invested in doing so beyond what is in it for them.In conclusion, FAZ, Gaci, DSP, current Presidential guard were/are paramilitary police forces more than military. Purpose was not defense against foreign invasions, Identity was not to defend the nation but the regime and still is.
Unless someone goes out and lines those 20,000 soldiers up at one time and counts them, I would never believe there are actually 20,000 there. Even if there are, they will not be there when it comes time to fight. The use of numbers is a time honored way to inflate payrolls.An other element of Congolese/Zairian approach to the use of military is the very "18th Century old" idea that number is more important than quality. As shown by the latest events in the Kivu (FARDC versus Nkunda) where 3.000 insurgents are just outmanouvring, 20.000 FARDC.
As an individual, yes. But armies are not built solely on capable individuals, they are built on societies and their values. Indeed you can build a capable army on lesser material if you have the societal will to do so.Once again, I consider the congolese soldier as potentially (physically, mentally) a good one but the military structure (be it FAZ, Gaci, or FARDeC)and political conception of the military (Mobutu or Kabila) is ruining those qualities (in addition to corruption and neglect).
I cannot tell you how many times I have read or heard that statement--or the years those repetitive calls encompass. Nothing has changed.For Congo to have a professional and decent army, it would need to address those issues which will take a new generation of politicians (The new MOD is a proto-Maoists who want the FARDC to have agricultural brigades....).
Best
tom
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