"African solutions to African problems" - a motto of sorts for U.S. Africa Command engagement in Africa - stands as a reminder that helping African militaries self-sustain their operations is often just as important as the activity itself.

Recent mine action training in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) provided an example of how U.S. AFRICOM incorporates sustainability into their activities with African partners.

U.S. AFRICOM teamed up with Congolese Armed Forces soldiers as part of the command's Humanitarian Mine Action program to help reestablish a mine action company at Camp Base in Kisangani, DRC.

In coordination with the U.S. State Department, the command began its mission to assist the DRC's Armed Forces (Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo, widely known as FARDC) after the country requested support in September 2009. Eight missions have been conducted since then to build and train a company to conduct mine action activities which includes identification, removal, destruction of and protection against mines, unexploded ordnance and explosive remnants of war (ERW).

"The program has been a success," said Jack Holly, U.S. AFRICOM's Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) branch chief. "The command's engagement with the FARDC Engineer Company has fostered a unique relationship instituting a viable program in demining, explosive ordnance disposal and explosive remnants of war operations."

U.S. Africa Command also funded $125,000 of equipment to use as training aids for demining and explosive ordnance removal instruction. Such equipment, like personal protective equipment, metal detectors and hand tools, were demonstrated by Congolese soldiers who were teaching the course during the latest training conducted in March 2011.

A select group of Congolese engineers was trained to be instructors in mine action in order to be self sustaining, training other Congolese soldiers. This group is the first DRC national asset to be trained to support demining and ERW removal resulting from years of conflicts in and around the country. During the last mission held in March, all the instruction was conducted by the Congolese engineers.

"I've been impressed with what I've seen," said Lieutenant Junior Grade Andrew Giacomucci, from Mobile Unit 8, operating with Task Force-68 (TF-68), Naval Station Rota, Spain, who led a 21-day training mission in March. "We've been really hands off on this mission and we've just been supervising, giving pointers here and there. They've taken what the previous teams have done, taken that on board, and now they've digested the information and they're going forward with it, so it's really good to see."

Giacomucci added that the sustained mine action training and involvement has really helped strengthen the bond between the U.S. and Congolese militaries.
"Partnering is key and essential to the success of this program; no one organization can do it alone," Holly said. "We are partnering with the U.S. Department of State, Handicap International France - an international non-governmental organization, and the United Nations Mine Action Centre and the DRC Center for Demining, both in Kinshasa."

Contamination varies throughout DRC's provinces; however, the extent of mine threats is believed to be significantly less than that of ERW. U.S. AFRICOM's humanitarian mine action training teaches identification and safe disposal of both.
"Unexploded ordnance is the leading cause of injuries in Africa, surpassing that of landmines," said Holly.

The North-Eastern Oriental Province - where Kisangani is located - has had significant problems with mines and other explosive remnants of war as a result of successive wars and conflicts throughout the last two decades, said Holly. About the size of Spain, the province has a population of 5.5 million and has about 8 million square meters of land where mines and unexploded ordnance is suspected. This area represents more than half of the DRC's remaining hazardous areas, making a mine action company in Kisangani a prime location. The Congolese minister of defense has also seen the advantage and has expressed his intent for Camp Base to become a national training center for demining, capable to assist the population and coordinate with the National Mine Action Committee in Kinshasa to conduct other operations in country.

HMA demand in Africa, not only in the DRC, is growing and more assistance is needed, said Holly. Other countries where U.S. Africa Command currently conducts humanitarian mine action (HMA) training with militaries are Chad, Burundi, Kenya, Namibia and Mozambique, expanding next year to Tanzania and Mauritania.

"AFRICOM's HMA program has expanded to the point that we've exceeded our capacity to sustain our current level of engagement," Holly pointed out. "We won't be able to expand into new areas without passing the planning and execution phases of the program to [U.S. AFRICOM's] component commands."

The goal of HMA activities specifically in the DRC is to enable and help equip the Congolese with the skills and abilities to safely address their mine problems - something the AFRICOM HMA coordinator said the Congolese have been well prepared for.
"We are well on our way to establishing Camp Base in Kisangani as the center for mine action within the DRC," said Holly.

Final training with the mine action company at Camp Base is planned for July 2011 with Giacomucci's team. However, the AFRICOM HMA coordinator said that this isn't the end of U.S. Africa Command engagement.

"U.S. Africa Command's HMA program will continue to support this important project into the future, promoting mine action, engagement and mentoring the FARDC HMA instructors."