The UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Wednesday justified the heavy arms purchase by the country's government force, the National Army Forces in the DRC (FARDC).

The UN mission, known by its French acronym MONUC, said in a weekly press release that a cargo of arms estimated about 645 tons had been shipped to the port Matadi in the western DRC at the end of July.

Kemal Saiki, the MONUC's director of public information and spokesman, confirmed the FARDC had informed the MONUC of the arms which would be distributed to its reorganized brigades.

He noted that the DRC is a sovereign state and arms for the reorganized brigades do not violate the UN arms embargo against the DRC.

Saiki added the MONUC has dispatched military observers to Matadi to monitor the destination of the arms.

The arrival of these arms, temporarily stocked in a store in Matadi, coincided with the presidential and legislative elections started on July 30, and caused panic and rumors since different armed forces had not been completely reorganized.

The international community has helped the FARDC train 12 reorganized brigades, mainly in the eastern DRC where the DRC and foreign rebel militias are rampant, in efforts to secure the territory and people of the country.

Source: Xinhua