Overview of Security Sector Reform Processes in the DRC

tion of the security system, which includes all the actors, their roles, responsibilities and actions, so that it is managed and operated in a manner that is more consistent with democratic norms and sound principles of good governance, and thus contributes to a well-functioning security framework.1 The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) transitional government, which has been in power since June 2003, continues to face significant challenges in implementing crucial aspects of the transition, most notably in the area of security. A key component of the transitional agenda, the terms of reference for security sector reform (SSR), are outlined in the resolutions and provisions of the Global and All-inclusive Accord signed in Pretoria on 17 December 2002 (Annex V, Article 2a). Peace-building in the DRC has been dominated by security and legal/constitutional concerns. This process is a pre-condition for ensuring the security of people, property and institutions in order to deliver other peace dividends (reconstruction and development aid, job creation, economic rehabilitation, and foreign investment). However, in the last quarter of 2004 developments in the eastern provinces of the DRC (North and South Kivu) and the Ituri District, where sporadic outbreaks of fighting continued despite the presence of a strengthened UN peacekeeping force, are evidence of the scale of security challenges facing the transitional government. Moreover, the recent threat of a return of Rwandan forces to the east of the DRC has not helped improve stability in the area. The establishment of an integrated and operational defence force for the DRC from disparate belligerent groups is critical because, aside from MONUC (Mission de l’Organisation des Nations Unies en Republique Democratique du Congo) forces, these units will constitute the only ‘legitimate’ deterrent to process spoilers. The lack of reliable and verifiable information on the actual numbers or armament of former belligerent forces is of serious concern, and the size of the future defence force has yet to be determined. Meanwhile, the absence of a reliable salary payment system within the existing defence force has created a security hazard of its own when unpaid soldiers prey on the local population for survival. This has contributed negatively to the stability of volatile provinces such as the Kivus, the Kasais and Katanga, where military integration has essentially meant the juxtaposition of the units of the former belligerents under (sometimes merely theoretical) integrated command. OVERVIEW OF SECURITY SECTOR REFORM PROCESSES IN THE DRC

Political science · Politics · Security Sector Reform · Global Peace and Security Dynamics · Law · Peacebuilding and International Security · Public Administration

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