The Romanian mercenaries who surrendered to the UN forces in Goma turned out to be active police officers, gendarmes, and military personnel who were “on sick leave.”

Digi24 reported this with reference to a report by the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

According to the Interior Ministry, eight gendarmes and three policemen have traveled to the Congo in recent years, working for private security companies.

The Ministry of Defense investigation discovered that seven other servicemen were doing the same.

The gendarmerie and police have already submitted materials to the prosecutor’s office to open criminal cases.

The law prohibits current law enforcement officers from working as mercenaries in another country while under contract with the Interior Ministry.

State Secretary Bogdan Despescu reported that some of them had access to classified information, but it is yet unknown what the level of access was.

The checks are ongoing, and the number of people involved is likely to increase.

At the end of January, 300 mercenaries, including Romanian citizens, who had been hired by the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to counter the offensive of the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels, turned themselves in.

Finding themselves in a desperate situation, they surrendered to UN peacekeeping troops in Goma.

They were later transported home through Rwanda.

The Congo engaged Agemira RDC, a subsidiary of a Bulgarian firm, to provide logistics, and Congo Protection, led by a former French Foreign Legion soldier, to provide training.