EUFOR RCA

Logo of the EUFOR RCA

EUFOR RCA ( Eu ropean For ces R ePublic of C entral A frica ) was a military mission to the European Union in the Central African Republic since April 2014. The mission was March 23, 2015 completed by the last commander, Philippe Ponties from France.

history

Between March 2008 and March 2009, the EUFOR Tchad / RCA military mission was deployed in the Central African Republic and Chad and served as a bridging mission for the UN MINURCAT mission .

On February 10, 2014, the European Council decided on the EU military operation to enable a safe environment in the Central African Republic on the basis of Resolution 2134 of the United Nations Security Council. The actual military mission in the Central African Republic began on April 1, 2014.

On April 10, 2014, the German Bundestag approved the deployment of up to 80 Bundeswehr soldiers as part of the mandate until the end of February 2015 with 514 votes in favor, 59 against and three abstentions.

However, the use was questionable because, according to an internal paper of the Bundeswehr (see also the ARD broadcast FAKT from June 24, 2014 - therein statement of the expert geologist Gerd M. Wiedenbeck, specialist for military properties) the underground due to an industrial previous use is contaminated with various substances and the groundwater (for drinking and industrial water) is also contaminated with aromatic hydrocarbons (BTX). Therefore, at the beginning of July 2014, the German soldiers were initially banned from entering until the situation was further clarified through targeted investigations.

assignment

The EUFOR mission served to secure the Bangui M'Poko International Airport and the capital Bangui . The soldiers should protect the civilian population and enable humanitarian aid. The cost of the mission was 25.9 million euros until October 2014.

organization

guide

The operation was led by the Operational Headquarters (OHQ) in Larisa in Greece . Operation Commander was the French Major General Philippe Pontiès.

The force commander in the area was the French Brigadier General Thierry Lion. The command posts were located in the capital Bangui (Force Headquarters, FHQ).

Nations involved

The EUFOR RCA mission comprised a total of up to 1,000 soldiers, including the following contingents:

country	number	Remarks
France	450	400 of them were soldiers, including a company of the 152e regiment d'infanterie from Colmar and 50 police officers from the national gendarmerie .
Georgia	up to 150	Soldiers of the Army and the National Guard
Poland	up to 140	Polish military police
Spain	75-85	including 50-60 soldiers from special forces of the army ( Mando de Operaciones Especiales ) and 25 police officers from the Guardia Civil .
Germany	up to 80	The Bundeswehr supports the military and wounded transports with two Antonov AN-124-100 transport aircraft from the so-called Strategic Airlift Interim Solution (SALIS) contract from 2006 between the NATO Support Agency (NSPA) and RUSLAN SALIS GmbH based in Leipzig. She also participates in military intelligence as well as in staffs and headquarters.
Portugal	74	consisting of 47 Air Force soldiers with a C-130 transport aircraft and 27 police officers from the Guarda Nacional Republicana
Estonia	55	a platoon of the army
Lithuania	20-60	a train
Italy	40	a train pioneers
Finland	?	a ordnance disposal team and a CIMIC team
Sweden	financing only	supports the military transport of the Estonian contingent under the Strategic Airlift Interim Solution (SALIS) contract
Luxembourg	financing only	supports financially necessary air transport capacities

Web links

• http://www.eeas.europa.eu/csdp/missions-and-operations/eufor-rca/index_en.htm

Individual evidence

1. ↑ 2014/103 / CFSP: Decision EUFOR RCA / 1/2014 of the Political and Security Committee of February 19, 2014 on the appointment of the EU Force Commander for the European Union's military operation in the Central African Republic (PDF)
2. ^ Deutsche Welle: EU sends peacekeeping force to the Central African Republic on April 1, 2014
3. ↑ http://lignesdedefense.blogs.ouest-france.fr/archive/2014/04/06/eufor-rca-l-ordre-de-bataille-au-11535.html
4. ↑ http://noticias.lainformacion.com/politica/fuerzas-armadas/las-tropas-espanolas-de-la-mision-de-la-ue-se-desplegaran-durante-la-primera-quincena-de-mayo_B36R0iGJzMlKfAtZcVoqs1 /