Active 1998—present Branch Navy | Founded 1998 | |
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Role Protection of waters of DR Congo Size 1,000 personnel8 boats (one operational) Command locations KinshasaGomaMatadiKalemie Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Rombault Mbuayama Nsiona | ||
The Congolese Navy, known as the National Navy (French: Marine Nationale), is the maritime component of the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is a brown-water navy, which is currently commanded by Vice Admiral Rombault Mbuayama Nsiona.
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History
Before the downfall of Mobutu Sese Seko, Zaire operated a small navy on the Congo river. One of its installations was at the village of N'dangi near the presidential residence in Gbadolite. The port at N'dangi was the base for several patrol boats, helicopters and the presidential yacht.
The 2002 edition of Jane's Sentinel described the Navy as being "in a state of near total disarray" and stated that it did not conduct any training or have operating procedures. The Navy shares the same discipline problems as the other services. It was initially placed under command of the MLC when the transition began: the current situation is uncertain.
The Congolese navy took part in an exercise overseen by United States Army troops in 2010 in Lake Tanganyika, to test that it is up to African Union standards.
During the Dongo conflict in the northwestern DRC, a number of navy personnel fled across the Congo River to the nearby Republic of the Congo as refugees, with many civilians.
Organization
The 2007 edition of Jane's Fighting Ships states that the Navy is organised into four commands, based at Matadi, near the coast; the capital Kinshasa, further up the Congo river; Kalemie, on Lake Tanganyika; and Goma, on Lake Kivu.
The IISS, in its 2007 edition of the Military Balance, confirms the bases listed in Jane's and adds a fifth base at Boma, a coastal city near Matadi.
Various sources also refer to numbered Naval Regions. Operations of the 1st Naval Region have been reported in Kalemie, the 4th near the northern city of Mbandaka, and the 5th at Goma.
The IISS lists the Navy at 1,000 personnel and a total of eight patrol craft, of which only one is operational, a Shanghai II Type 062 class gunboat designated "102". There are five other 062s as well as two Swiftships which are not currently operational, though some may be restored to service in the future. According to Jane's, the Navy also operates barges and small craft armed with machine guns.