ABSTRACT
When the crisis worsened in the Great Lakes area in general, and in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in particular, after the Rwandan genocide in 1994, the EU sent its Special Representative Aldo Ajello to the region. The EU intervened militarily in DRC; it contributed millions of euros for both civilian and military operations in DRC. Not only in DRC but also in the whole Great Lakes region the EU's financial and diplomatic involvement has been considerable. The EU contributed financially to the African Union to sustain its military operation in Burundi; its contribution to the Demobilisation and Reintegration Programme for the Great Lakes Region was considerable. Similarly, it allocated millions of euros to a disarmament programme in Congo Brazzaville. In the DRC the EU financed the establishment of an Integrated Police Unit (IPU). The EU's Police Mission in Kinshasa (EUPOL Kinshasa) and its successor (as of 1 July 2007) EU Police Mission in Democratic Republic of Congo (EUPOL RD Congo) trained and supported Congolese police. In order to prepare for the elections that took place in 2006, the EU allocated substantial amount of money to establish and implement a strategy of elections security guaranteed by the Police National Congolaise with the assistance of MONUC and EUFOR RD Congo. The military and non-military involvement of the EU in DRC is unprecedented in the EU's involvement in Africa.
