Over 460 military reservists found to have operated in Congo under contracts with security companies

 Over 460 military reservists signed contracts with security companies that operated in the Democratic Republic of Congo after being transferred to the reserve force, the National Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday, adding that seven active troops - two non-commissioned officers and five professional soldiers - who were on parental leave unjustifiably carried out activities in Congo in various periods, between 2023 and early 2025.According to a release from the National Defense Ministry, Minister Angel Tilvar ordered at the end of February a complete check of all the forces of the Romanian Army for identifying active personnel on a temporary suspension of service relations with the institution who may have activated in Romanian private security companies that recently operated in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The checks looked at all forms of leave and free periods the Defense Ministry's personnel are entitled to.The checks revealed that a total of 466 reservists from the National Defense Ministry signed, after switching to the Reserve, contracts for various periods with security companies that operated in the D.R. Congo. The respective personnel were transferred to the reserve force for age limit, by resignation or for medical reasons, the release states.No cases have been identified of active military personnel on unpaid leave, as provided for in Art. 14 of Law No. 80 of July 11, 1995 on the status of military personnel, to have traveled in the respective periods to Congo in order to carry out activities within private security companies.The seven active military personnel who, during the legal leave for raising a child up to two years old, unjustifiably carried out activities in the D.R. Congo, the Ministry shows that they have violated several legal and regulatory provisions, including: leaving the national territory without approval, the prohibition to perform other activities than those for which they are assigned, or those the monthly child rearing allowance is being paid for, which is granted in the situation where the applicant lives in Romania together with the child/children for whom he/she is requesting the said benefits and is responsible for their upbringing and care. Three of these troops are still on parental leave, and four of them have returned to their units, the Defense Ministry reports, adding that investigations for one of them have already been completed, with the Military Prosecutor's Office being notified, and that similar measures will be taken in the other six cases; disciplinary and administrative proceedings have also been initiated.From the extensive checks carried out during this period, it also emerged that 24 troops who had been transferred to the reserve force by resignation in previous years and subsequently worked for private security companies in Congo were accepted back into active service in the period 2023 - 2024, being assigned to various military units of the Defense Ministry.Although the recall to active duty of these troops does not pose significant vulnerabilities in terms of national security, as all of them are assigned to positions at the base of the military hierarchy, and their access to classified information is at the minimum level, additional verification and monitoring measures have been ordered for each case, and depending on the results, measures will be instructed accordingly, the Ministry further specifies.Also, 14 situations have been identified in which reserve troops have been active over various periods in the D.R. Congo from this position and, subsequently switched to the status of voluntary reservist in the period 2020 - 2024.The defense minister ordered the clarification of the circumstances and responsibilities that made these situations possible, as well as the enforcement of urgent measures to prevent this from happening in the future.