[R-G] Britain may deploy troops to Congo

[Anthony Fenton]

Britain may deploy troops to Congo
Britain may need to send troops to the war-torn Democratic Republic of  
Congo if diplomatic efforts fail to find a solution to the crisis, the  
Government has warned.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/democraticrepublicofcongo/3362230/Britain-may-deploy-troops-to-Congo.html

Last Updated: 12:38AM GMT 02 Nov 2008
Two boys in front of the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Lord Malloch-Brown stressed that the deployment of troops on a  
European Union mission was a last option Photo: Getty

The Foreign Office minister Lord Malloch-Brown said that the UK and  
other European powers could not stand back if the fighting between  
government and rebel forces erupted again.

The latest strife has seen 225,000 people flee their homes as a rebel  
commander has led his forces in an attempt to capture the key eastern  
city of Goma, close to the border with Rwanda

David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, and his French counterpart  
Bernard Kouchner are meanwhile embarking on a joint mission to the  
region to try to bring the warring parties together.

Lord Malloch-Brown said that while the priority was to find a  
diplomatic solution, contingency plans were being drawn up for the  
deployment of an EU force to bolster United Nations peacekeepers, who  
have struggled to contain the violence.

"We have certainly got to have it as an option which is developed and  
on the table if we need it," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"The first line of call on this should be the deployment of the UN's  
own troops from elsewhere in the country.

"But we have got to have plans. If everything else fails we cannot  
stand back and watch violence erupt.

"Britain is currently the so-called standby country which would indeed  
need to contribute.

Lord Malloch-Brown stressed that the deployment of troops on a  
European Union mission was a last option if all else failed.

"The idea of a European force is very much at the back of the line and  
a contingency that we hope that we will not need to be drawn on," he  
said.

Nevertheless his comments are likely to alarm British commanders at  
time when the Army is stretched fighting on two fronts in Afghanistan  
and Iraq.

His warning came as aid agencies were predicting a humanitarian crisis.

The Department for International Development is sending a further £5  
million in aid to provide food, water and shelter for refugees from  
the violence.

Mr Miliband and Mr Kouchner will use their visit to the region to  
impress upon President Joseph Kabila and President Paul Kagame of  
neighbouring Rwanda of the need to use their influence to end the  
conflict.

Rwanda has been accused of providing support for the rebel forces of  
General Laurent Nkunda - a claim they deny.

Gen Nkunda says in turn that he is fighting to protect his Tutsi  
followers from Rwandan Hutus, some of whom are accused of taking part  
in the Rwandan genocide of 1994 and who have, the rebels claim,  
support from the Congolese government.