The UN appointed another Brazilian to command Monusco, the Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. General Otávio Rodrigues de Miranda Filho, who currently works in the Amazon, will replace the current chief, Marcos de Sá Affonso da Costa.
The announcement was made this Wednesday (4th), in New York, by the organization’s secretary general, the Portuguese António Guterres. As it stands, Monusco has existed since 2010. The UN, however, has been operating in the African nation since the late 1990s.
The UN Security Council, the highest body of the United Nations and responsible for periodically renewing the operation, assigned MONUSCO two main objectives: to protect civilians and support public institutions and major governance and security reforms in the country.
One of the main points of concern is the actions of the Tutsi rebel group M23, which last June captured the town of Bunagana, on the border with Uganda, and intensified its attacks.
Estimates from the last month of July show that 14,000 military personnel work in the mission. They mostly come from countries like Pakistan (2,000), India (1,900), Bangladesh (1,600) and South Africa (1,200).
Brazil, even though it is not among the countries with the largest troops sent, has a leading role. Before Miranda Filho and Affonso da Costa, Monusco was headed by Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz, between 2013 and 2015 —he also worked in Haiti, between 2007 and 2009. In parts, the performance catapulted the figure of Santos Cruz, who was chief minister of the Government Secretariat in the management of Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
According to the UN statement, Miranda Filho is a military commander in the Amazon, where he coordinates the logistical structure that provides support to dozens of military organizations. Previously, he headed the Armed Forces’ international affairs area, was chief of staff at the Planalto Military Command and military attache at the Brazilian embassy in China.
In almost constant war since it gained independence from Belgium, in 1960, the DRC coexists with other types of tension besides the ethnic one, such as the dispute over coltan, a mineral used in electronic products, such as cell phones.
The country is one of those with the highest flow of migrants to Brazil, many in search of refuge. In 12 years, from 2010 to 2021, 2,015 Congolese were registered in Brazil. The subject gained notoriety after the murder of Moïse Mugenyi Kabagambe, a young black man beaten to death in Rio de Janeiro early last year.
Alongside Brazil and Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of Congo is also working on cooperation to protect forests.
Monusco, over the last year, has been the target of civil protests. In July, three military personnel from the mission and 12 demonstrators died in acts that accused the UN mission of being ineffective against armed groups active in the east of the country for nearly three decades. Protesters looted and destroyed Monusco facilities in Goma. The UN said the act could amount to a war crime and opened an investigation.
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