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British International Development Secretary Clare Short said on Wednesday that Britain might join France and the United States in retraining the army of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) after the departure of Rwandan Interahamwe rebels and the former Rwandan army - known as the ex-FAR.
She told reporters in the DRC capital, Kinshasa, that Britain was discussing the idea with France and the US, and would make the offer to the DRC government once the plan had been firmed up, The Star newspaper of Johannesburg reported. Britain has had experience in fusing rival forces into national armies in Zimbabwe, Namibia and, most recently, Sierra Leone.
Short said Britain was also considering the rehabilitation of 710 km of railway from the northeastern city of Kisangani to Kindu in the east, as well as rebuilding the road connecting the two cities.
The British offer follows the peace accord signed on Tuesday between Rwanda and the DRC. Short, who attended the ceremony in the South African administrative capital, Pretoria, said the pact offered an opportunity for development and peace that should be seized upon. "If we cooperate in the emerging peace [process] and development in Angola, the DRC and Sudan, the future prospects for the whole of Africa will be greatly enhanced," she said.
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