US Marines to train Congolese army battalion in basic skills, discipline and human rights

US Marines to train Congolese army battalion

KINSHASA, Congo — U.S. military officials say U.S. Marines have begun training Congolese troops in volatile Eastern Congo.

Col. Thomas Crowder says 30 Marines from the U.S. Africa Command are training a battalion of Congolese soldiers in the city of Kisangani. Crowder said Monday the 8-month program for the battalion, which can consist of about 1,000 soldiers, will cover military basics but also will focus on human rights training. Human rights groups have previously accused Congo’s poorly trained and irregularly paid army forces of attacking civilians.

The U.S. Africa Command, or Africom, is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, and was formally activated in 2008. Before then, U.S. military programs in Africa were split among three other commands.