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BBC News
31-01-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Why well paid Romania mercenaries wey DR Congo hire to fight dey surrender
Dis week na humiliating week for nearly 300 Romanian mercenaries wey dem recruit to fight on di side of di army of di Democratic Republic of Congo. Dia surrender come afta one rebel attack on di eastern city of Goma don also shatter di dreams of those wey sign up for di job to earn big money. Di BBC don see contracts wey show say dem dey pay these hired sojas around $5,000 (£4,000) per month, while regular military recruits dey receive around $100, or sometimes dem no go even pay dem. DR Congo bin contract di Romanians to help dia army fight di Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, wey say dem dey fight to protect di rights of DR Congo minority ethnic Tutsis. Wen di attack on Goma bin start on Sunday night, di Romanians dey forced to go hide for one UN peacekeeping base. "Troops and and state-of-di-art military equipment from Rwanda bin support di M23 rebels and dem manage to reach our positions around di city of Goma," Constantin Timofti, wey dem describe as co-ordinator for di group, tell Romanian TVR channel on Monday. "Di national army stop to dey fight and we dey forced to withdraw." Romania foreign ministry tok-tok pesin Andrei Țărnea tell BBC say "complex" negotiations follow, wey see as di M23 hand ova di Romanian fighters – wey e describe as private employees of di DR Congo goment on army training mission - to Rwanda. Goma siddon right on di border wit Rwanda – and tori pipo feem di mercenaries as dem cross over and surrender to body searches and oda checks. Bifor dem cross over, phone footage show as M23 commander Willy Ngoma dey tok down on one of di Romanians in French, e tell am to sit on di ground, cross im legs and put im hands ova im head. E ask am about im military training – I train wit di French Foreign Legion, di Romanian reply. "Dem recruit you wit salary of $8,000 per month, you eat well," Ngoma shout, as e point out di difference between dia money and dat of Congolese army recruit salary. "We dey fight for our future. No come for adventure here," e warn. E no dey clear where Ngoma dey get di $8,000 figure, but di contract wey one former Romanian mercenary show di BBC for October show "strictly confidential remuneration" for senior personnel wey start at $5,000 per month during active duty and $3,000 during periods of leave. Di agreement outline "indefinite period" of service, and contractors dey scheduled to take one-month break afta every three months of deployment. I meet di ex-mercenary for Romania capital, Bucharest, wen I go investigate Asociatia RALF, wey one group of UN experts say na Romanian enterprise wit "ex-Romanians from diFrench Foreign Legion". Na Horațiu Potra, one Romanian wey describe himself as military instructor. For June while in Goma, I bin notice those kain mercenaries for checkpoints and di ones dem deploy around di city, dem dey work closely wit di army. Ova di last three years, many pipo don report say dem dey see di Congolese troops dey drive wit army vehicles. "Wen dem land, everybody dey call dem Russian," Fiston Mahamba, co-founder of disinformation group Check Congo, told the BBC. "I bin think say dem dey connected to Russian mercenary group, Wagner say dia presence dey for several African countries." In fact, Asociatia RALF fit also work across Africa – dia contract show say dem get various "operational locations", wey include "Burkina Faso, DR Congo, Ivory Coast, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Gambia and Guinea". UN experts say dem bring these two private military companies d to bolster its forces in 2022, not long after the M23 had regrouped and begun capturing territory in North Kivu. Di province don dey unstable for decades and plenty militias dey operate for there, dey make money from dia minerals like gold and coltan – dem dey use make batteries for electric vehicles and mobile phones. Di first firm DR Congo sign up na Agemira RDC, wey Olivier Bazin, one French-Congolese national dey head. Di experts say di company employ Bulgarian, Belarusian, Georgian, Algerian, French and Congolese nationals. Dia work na to renovate and increase DR Congo military air assets, renovate airports and ensure di physical security of aircraft plus oda strategic locations. Di second contract wey dem sign na between Congo Protection, one Congolese company wey Thierry Kongolo dey represent, and Asociatia RALF. According to UN experts, di contract show say Asociatia RALF get expertise and extensive experience for di provision of security management services. Dem go provide training and instruction to di Congolese troops on di ground through contingent of 300 instructors, many of dem Romanians. Wen I follow Oga Potra tok for July about di extent of im group involvement on di ground and weda dem follow for di fight, e say: "We gatz protect ourselves. If M23 attack us, dem no go say: 'Oh, una just be instructors - go house'." Oga Potra bin dey very active during di DR Congo mission until a few months ago wen e go back Romania - and dey for wrapped for controversy for di middle of di cancelled presidential election there. Dem dramatically arrest am for December, and e deny providing security for di pro-Russian, far-right candidate Călin Georgescu. And since October, e don refuse to return di BBC calls. Di ex-mercenary, wey dey im his late forties and follow BBC tok on condition of anonymity, tok say im bin resign becos im dey unhappy on how Asociatia RALF deu operate. E say di Romanians do plenty things on ground for North Kivu province: "Only very few of us be trainers. "We dey work long shifts of up to 12 hours, dey guard key positions outside Goma." E maintain say di money no worth di risks di military contractors gatz take. "Missions dey disorganised, working conditions poor. Make Romanians stop dey go there becos e dey dangerous." E also claim say dem no do proper background checks, and some of di Romanian recruits no get military training – e use di example of one of im former colleagues wey be firefighter. DR Congo government neva reply to BBC request for comment on weda dem carry out background checks, or about di pay disparity between di private contractors and Congolese troops. Di family of Vasile Badea, one of two Romanians wey die last February wen M23 fighters ambush one army convoy wey dey on dia way to Sake, one frontline town near Goma, tell BBC say na police officer im be. Di 46-year-old bin take sabbatical from di force and take up di role for DR Congo sake of di beta salary offer. Di policeman bin dey struggle to pay for one apartment e just get and need money to pay for am. Many more Romanians bin dey lured sake of di prospect of a well-paid job. I meet one man for Bucharest for October, who go back im kontri dey find more recruits to go to Goma. E get military background and don do Nato tours for Afghanistan wit di Romanian army. "We dey very busy trying to find 800 pipo wey need to dey mentally prepared for di job and sabi how to fight," di mercenary recruiter tell BBC. E say im no work for Asociatia RALF, and no gree tok which outfit e dey work wit. "Dem dey place di recruits for positions wey correspond to di level of dia training, ande dem dey earn between $400-$550 per day," e explain. Wen dem ask am about di recruitment process, e say e dey confidential. "Dem no dey publish dis kain work anywhere," e tok, and add say na on networks like WhatsApp you go see am. E show me one WhatsApp group where more dan 300 Romanians don sign up, many of dem be ex-military personnel. For June last year, Rwanda government tok-tok pesin Yolande Makolo bin kick against di presence of mercenaries for eastern DR Congo, e say na violation of di Geneva Conventions, wey prohibit di use of hired combatants. In response, Congolese government tok-tok pesin Patrick Muyaya dismiss wetin e call Rwanda perennial complaint. "We get some instructors wey dey come train our military forces becos we know say we get urgent situation," e tell BBC. But one Congolese soja wey I meet for June express dia disappointment ova di army strategy. "Di pay dey unfair. Wen e come to fighting, na us dem dey send go di front lines first," e tell BBC on condition of anonymity. "Dem [di mercenaries] dey only come as back-up." E confam say im pay na around $100 a month, but e no dey come on time or make dem no pay at all. I follow am tok last week ago, and e confam say im stll dey stationed for Kibati, near Goma, where di army get base. "Things dey very bad," e tok for one voice note to me. I no fit reach out to am since then - and M23 don take ova di base since and kill many sojas, including dia commander. Observers say di quick fall of Goma point to DR Congo fractured defence strategy, where overlapping forces plus blurred lines of command later fall into di hands of M23. Richard Moncrief, International Crisis Group project director for di Great Lakes, say mercenaries, di Congolese army work wit troops from di Southern African Development Community (Sadc), one local militia wey dey known as Wazalendo, plus sojas from Burundi also lead to di fall. "E create situation wia e dey impossible to plan military attack wen chain of command and responsibility dey messed up," e tell BBC. "I think say e dey important to work towards far greater coherence in di armed effort for North Kivu, probably reduce di number of armed groups or armed actors on di ground." For di ex-mercenary, di fate of im former Romanian colleagues no come as surprise. "Poor command lead to failure," e tell BBC.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DR Congo's failed gamble on Romanian mercenaries
It has been a humiliating week for nearly 300 Romanian mercenaries recruited to fight on the side of the army in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their surrender following a rebel assault on the eastern city of Goma has also shattered the dreams of those who signed up for the job to earn big money. The BBC has seen contracts that show that these hired soldiers were being paid around $5,000 (£4,000) a month, while regular military recruits get around $100, or sometimes go unpaid. The Romanians were contracted to help the army fight the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, who say they are fighting to protect the rights of DR Congo's minority ethnic Tutsis. When the offensive on Goma started on Sunday night, the Romanians were forced to take refuge at a UN peacekeeping base. "The M23 rebels were supported by troops and state-of-the-art military equipment from Rwanda and managed to reach our positions around the city of Goma," Constantin Timofti, described as a co-ordinator for the group, told Romanian TVR channel on Monday. "The national army gave up fighting and we were forced to withdraw." Romania's foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Țărnea told the BBC that "complex" negotiations followed, which saw the M23 hand over the Romanian fighters - whom he described as private employees of the DR Congo government on an army training mission - to Rwanda. Goma sits right on the border with Rwanda - and the mercenaries were filmed by journalists as they crossed over, surrendering to body searches and other checks. Before they crossed over, phone footage shows M23 commander Willy Ngoma berating one of the Romanians in French, telling him to sit on the ground, cross his legs and put his hands over his head. He asked him about his military training - it was with the French Foreign Legion, the Romanian replied. "They recruited you with a salary of $8,000 a month, you eat well," Ngoma yelled, pointing out the disparity between that and a Congolese army recruit's pay. "We are fighting for our future. Do not come for adventure here," he warned. It is not clear where Ngoma got the $8,000 figure, but the contract shown to the BBC by a former Romanian mercenary in October detailed that "strictly confidential remuneration" for senior personnel started at $5,000 per month during active duty and $3,000 during periods of leave. The agreement outlines an "indefinite period" of service, with contractors scheduled to take a one-month break after every three months of deployment. I had met the ex-mercenary in Romania's capital, Bucharest, where I had gone to investigate Asociatia RALF, which a group of UN experts say is a Romanian enterprise with "ex-Romanians from the French Foreign Legion". It is headed by Horațiu Potra, a Romanian who describes himself as a military instructor. In June while in Goma, I had noticed such mercenaries at checkpoints and deployed around the city, working closely with army. Over the last three years, others have reported seeing them driving Congolese troops in army vehicles. "When they arrived, everyone referred to them as Russian," Fiston Mahamba, co-founder of disinformation group Check Congo, told the BBC. "I think this was linked to the Russian mercenary group, Wagner with presence in several African countries." In fact, Asociatia RALF may also work across Africa - its contract stipulated that it had various "operational locations", including "Burkina Faso, DR Congo, Ivory Coast, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Gambia and Guinea". The UN experts say that two private military companies were brought on board to bolster its forces in 2022, not long after the M23 had regrouped and begun capturing territory in North Kivu. The province has been unstable for decades with numerous militias operating there making money from its minerals like gold and coltan - used to make batteries for electric vehicles and mobile phones. The first firm that was signed up was Agemira RDC, headed by Olivier Bazin, a French-Congolese national. The experts say the company employed Bulgarian, Belarusian, Georgian, Algerian, French and Congolese nationals. This outfit was tasked with refurbishing and increasing DR Congo's military air assets, rehabilitating airports and ensuring the physical security of aircraft and other strategic locations. A second contract was signed between Congo Protection, a Congolese company represented by Thierry Kongolo, and Asociatia RALF. According to the UN experts, the contract specified that Asociatia RALF had expertise and extensive experience in the provision of security management services. It would provide training and instruction to the Congolese troops on the ground by means of a contingent of 300 instructors, many of them Romanians. When I spoke to Mr Potra in July about the extent of his group's involvement on the ground and whether it had engaged in fighting, he said: "We have to protect ourselves. If M23 attacks us, they won't simply say: 'Oh, you're just instructors - go home'." Mr Potra was hands-on during the DR Congo mission until a few months ago when he returned to Romania - and has since been embroiled in a controversy amid the annulled presidential election there. He was dramatically arrested in December and has since denied providing security for the pro-Russian, far-right candidate Călin Georgescu. And since October, he has refused to return the BBC's calls. The ex-mercenary, who was in his late forties and spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity, said he had resigned because he was unhappy about how Asociatia RALF was operating. He said the Romanians did much more on the ground in North Kivu province: "Only a very small number of us were actually trainers. "We worked long shifts of up to 12 hours, guarding key positions outside Goma." He maintained the pay was not worth the risks the military contractors had to take. "Missions were disorganised, working conditions poor. Romanians should stop going there because it's dangerous." He also claimed that proper background checks had not been done, and some of the Romanian recruits had no military training - citing as an example that one of his former colleagues was a firefighter. DR Congo's government has not replied to a BBC request for comment on whether background checks were carried out, or about the pay disparity between the private contractors and Congolese troops. The family of Vasile Badea, one of two Romanians who were killed last February when an army convoy was ambushed by the M23 fighters on its way to Sake, a frontline town near Goma, told the BBC he had been a police officer. The 46-year-old had taken a sabbatical from the force and took up the role in DR Congo because of the lucrative salary offer. The policeman was struggling to pay for an apartment he had just acquired and needed more money. Many more Romanians were lured by the prospects of a well-paid job. I met one man in Bucharest in October, who was back home looking for more recruits to go to Goma. He had a military background and had done Nato tours in Afghanistan with the Romanian army. "We are very busy trying to find 800 people who need to be mentally prepared for the job and know how to fight," the mercenary recruiter told the BBC. He said he did not work for Asociatia RALF, but refused to say which outfit he was with. "The recruits will be placed in positions corresponding to the level of their training, earning between $400-$550 per day," he explained. When asked about the recruitment process, he emphasised its confidentiality. "Such jobs are not published anywhere," he said, adding that networks like WhatsApp were preferred. He showed me a WhatsApp group where more than 300 Romanians had signed up, many of whom were ex-military personnel. In June last year, Rwanda's government spokesperson Yolande Makolo hit out about the presence of mercenaries in eastern DR Congo, saying it was a violation of the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit the use of hired combatants. In response, Congolese government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya dismissed what he called Rwanda's perennial complaint. "We have some instructors who come to train our military forces because we know we have this urgent situation," he told the BBC. But a Congolese soldier I met in June expressed his dismay over the army's strategy. "The pay is unfair. When it comes to fighting, we are the ones sent to the front lines first," he told the BBC on condition of anonymity. "They [the mercenaries] only come as back-up." He confirmed his pay was set at around $100 a month but was often delayed or unpaid altogether. I was last in contact with him a week ago when he confirmed he was still stationed in Kibati, near Goma, where the army has a base. "Things are very bad," he said in a voice note to me. I have not been able to get hold of him since - and the Kibati base has since been overrun by the M23 with many soldiers killed, including his commander. Observers say the quick fall of Goma points to DR Congo's fractured defence strategy, where overlapping forces and blurred lines of command have ultimately played into the hands of M23. Richard Moncrief, International Crisis Group's project director for the Great Lakes, points out that as well as mercenaries, the Congolese army works with troops from the Southern African Development Community (Sadc), a local militia known as Wazalendo, as well as soldiers from Burundi. "It creates a situation where it's impossible to plan military offences where chain of command and responsibility is muddied," he told the BBC. "I think that it's important to work towards far greater coherence in the armed effort in North Kivu, probably involving a reduction in the number of armed groups or armed actors on the ground." For the ex-mercenary, the fate of his former Romanian colleagues has not come as a surprise. "Poor command leads to failure," he told the BBC. What's the fighting in DR Congo all about? The evidence that shows Rwanda is backing rebels in DR Congo South Africa and Rwanda go head-to-head over DR Congo war Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Africa Daily Focus on Africa
BBC News
30-01-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
DR Congo's failed gamble on Romanian mercenaries
It has been a humiliating week for nearly 300 Romanian mercenaries recruited to fight on the side of the army in the Democratic Republic of surrender following a rebel assault on the eastern city of Goma has also shattered the dreams of those who signed up for the job to earn big BBC has seen contracts that show that these hired soldiers were being paid around $5,000 (£4,000) a month, while regular military recruits get around $100, or sometimes go Romanians were contracted to help the army fight the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, who say they are fighting to protect the rights of DR Congo's minority ethnic the offensive on Goma started on Sunday night, the Romanians were forced to take refuge at a UN peacekeeping base."The M23 rebels were supported by troops and state-of-the-art military equipment from Rwanda and managed to reach our positions around the city of Goma," Constantin Timofti, described as a co-ordinator for the group, told Romanian TVR channel on Monday."The national army gave up fighting and we were forced to withdraw."Romania's foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Țărnea told the BBC that "complex" negotiations followed, which saw the M23 hand over the Romanian fighters - whom he described as private employees of the DR Congo government on an army training mission - to sits right on the border with Rwanda - and the mercenaries were filmed by journalists as they crossed over, surrendering to body searches and other they crossed over, phone footage shows M23 commander Willy Ngoma berating one of the Romanians in French, telling him to sit on the ground, cross his legs and put his hands over his asked him about his military training - it was with the French Foreign Legion, the Romanian replied."They recruited you with a salary of $8,000 a month, you eat well," Ngoma yelled, pointing out the disparity between that and a Congolese army recruit's pay."We are fighting for our future. Do not come for adventure here," he warned. It is not clear where Ngoma got the $8,000 figure, but the contract shown to the BBC by a former Romanian mercenary in October detailed that "strictly confidential remuneration" for senior personnel started at $5,000 per month during active duty and $3,000 during periods of agreement outlines an "indefinite period" of service, with contractors scheduled to take a one-month break after every three months of deployment.I had met the ex-mercenary in Romania's capital, Bucharest, where I had gone to investigate Asociatia RALF, which a group of UN experts say is a Romanian enterprise with "ex-Romanians from the French Foreign Legion".It is headed by Horațiu Potra, a Romanian who describes himself as a military June while in Goma, I had noticed such mercenaries at checkpoints and deployed around the city, working closely with the last three years, others have reported seeing them driving Congolese troops in army vehicles. "When they arrived, everyone referred to them as Russian," Fiston Mahamba, co-founder of disinformation group Check Congo, told the BBC."I think this was linked to the Russian mercenary group, Wagner with presence in several African countries."In fact, Asociatia RALF may also work across Africa - its contract stipulated that it had various "operational locations", including "Burkina Faso, DR Congo, Ivory Coast, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Gambia and Guinea".The UN experts say that two private military companies were brought on board to bolster its forces in 2022, not long after the M23 had regrouped and begun capturing territory in North province has been unstable for decades with numerous militias operating there making money from its minerals like gold and coltan - used to make batteries for electric vehicles and mobile first firm that was signed up was Agemira RDC, headed by Olivier Bazin, a French-Congolese national. The experts say the company employed Bulgarian, Belarusian, Georgian, Algerian, French and Congolese outfit was tasked with refurbishing and increasing DR Congo's military air assets, rehabilitating airports and ensuring the physical security of aircraft and other strategic locations.A second contract was signed between Congo Protection, a Congolese company represented by Thierry Kongolo, and Asociatia to the UN experts, the contract specified that Asociatia RALF had expertise and extensive experience in the provision of security management would provide training and instruction to the Congolese troops on the ground by means of a contingent of 300 instructors, many of them I spoke to Mr Potra in July about the extent of his group's involvement on the ground and whether it had engaged in fighting, he said: "We have to protect ourselves. If M23 attacks us, they won't simply say: 'Oh, you're just instructors - go home'." Mr Potra was hands-on during the DR Congo mission until a few months ago when he returned to Romania - and has since been embroiled in a controversy amid the annulled presidential election was dramatically arrested in December and has since denied providing security for the pro-Russian, far-right candidate Călin Georgescu. And since October, he has refused to return the BBC's ex-mercenary, who was in his late forties and spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity, said he had resigned because he was unhappy about how Asociatia RALF was said the Romanians did much more on the ground in North Kivu province: "Only a very small number of us were actually trainers."We worked long shifts of up to 12 hours, guarding key positions outside Goma."He maintained the pay was not worth the risks the military contractors had to take."Missions were disorganised, working conditions poor. Romanians should stop going there because it's dangerous."He also claimed that proper background checks had not been done, and some of the Romanian recruits had no military training - citing as an example that one of his former colleagues was a Congo's government has not replied to a BBC request for comment on whether background checks were carried out, or about the pay disparity between the private contractors and Congolese family of Vasile Badea, one of two Romanians who were killed last February when an army convoy was ambushed by the M23 fighters on its way to Sake, a frontline town near Goma, told the BBC he had been a police 46-year-old had taken a sabbatical from the force and took up the role in DR Congo because of the lucrative salary policeman was struggling to pay for an apartment he had just acquired and needed more money. Many more Romanians were lured by the prospects of a well-paid job.I met one man in Bucharest in October, who was back home looking for more recruits to go to Goma. He had a military background and had done Nato tours in Afghanistan with the Romanian army."We are very busy trying to find 800 people who need to be mentally prepared for the job and know how to fight," the mercenary recruiter told the said he did not work for Asociatia RALF, but refused to say which outfit he was with."The recruits will be placed in positions corresponding to the level of their training, earning between $400-$550 per day," he asked about the recruitment process, he emphasised its confidentiality."Such jobs are not published anywhere," he said, adding that networks like WhatsApp were showed me a WhatsApp group where more than 300 Romanians had signed up, many of whom were ex-military June last year, Rwanda's government spokesperson Yolande Makolo hit out about the presence of mercenaries in eastern DR Congo, saying it was a violation of the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit the use of hired response, Congolese government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya dismissed what he called Rwanda's perennial complaint."We have some instructors who come to train our military forces because we know we have this urgent situation," he told the BBC. But a Congolese soldier I met in June expressed his dismay over the army's strategy."The pay is unfair. When it comes to fighting, we are the ones sent to the front lines first," he told the BBC on condition of anonymity."They [the mercenaries] only come as back-up."He confirmed his pay was set at around $100 a month but was often delayed or unpaid altogether.I was last in contact with him a week ago when he confirmed he was still stationed in Kibati, near Goma, where the army has a base."Things are very bad," he said in a voice note to me.I have not been able to get hold of him since - and the Kibati base has since been overrun by the M23 with many soldiers killed, including his say the quick fall of Goma points to DR Congo's fractured defence strategy, where overlapping forces and blurred lines of command have ultimately played into the hands of Moncrief, International Crisis Group's project director for the Great Lakes, points out that as well as mercenaries, the Congolese army works with troops from the Southern African Development Community (Sadc), a local militia known as Wazalendo, as well as soldiers from Burundi."It creates a situation where it's impossible to plan military offences where chain of command and responsibility is muddied," he told the BBC."I think that it's important to work towards far greater coherence in the armed effort in North Kivu, probably involving a reduction in the number of armed groups or armed actors on the ground."For the ex-mercenary, the fate of his former Romanian colleagues has not come as a surprise."Poor command leads to failure," he told the BBC. More about the conflict in DR Congo: What's the fighting in DR Congo all about?The evidence that shows Rwanda is backing rebels in DR CongoSouth Africa and Rwanda go head-to-head over DR Congo war Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
