Appointed deputy prime minister in charge of defence on 23 March, Jean-Pierre Bemba has taken over from Gilbert Kabanda Kurhenga in the midst of a major security crisis in the east of the country. At a time when the Congolese armed forces (FARDC) are up against M23 rebels supported by neighbouring Rwanda, the new defence minister is trying to get to work as quickly as possible on increasing their strength. On this front, Bemba is under heavy pressure: with an under-resourced army, he depends in particular