 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (October 2012) |
| Operation Artemis | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Ituri conflict | ||||||
_-_Ituri.svg) Location of Ituri within the Congo | ||||||
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| Belligerents | ||||||
| Lendu tribe |
Hema tribe: Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) |
 Democratic Republic of the Congo MONUC Artemis | ||||
Operation Artemis, formally European Union Force Democratic Republic of the Congo (EUFOR), was a short-term European Union-led UN-authorised military mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2003, during the Ituri conflict. ARTEMIS is considered the first military operation led by the EU, the first autonomous EU operation, the first rapid response mission of the EU, first operation outside Europe, first operation applying the principle of the framework nation and first example of "relay operation", conducted in cooperation between the EU and the United Nations.[3][4] The deployment of EUFOR troops quickly decreased the conflict's intensity. It marked the first autonomous EU military mission outside Europe and an important milestone in development of the European Security and Defence Policy.