16 August 2000
U.N. Delays Plans for Congo Peacekeeping Mission
Regional problems hold up U.N. deployment, Annan says
By Judy Aita
Washington File United Nations Correspondent
United Nations -- Citing a series of problems in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC), Secretary-General Kofi Annan August 16
asked the Security Council to give him more time to work out
recommendations on deploying an expanded United Nations peacekeeping
operation in the country.
In a letter to the council, Annan asked for an interim extension of
the mandate for the U.N. Organization Mission in the DRC (MONUC) until
September 30. MONUC's current mandate is set to expire August 31 and
the secretary-general's report is due by August 24.
In February 2000, the council unanimously adopted a resolution setting
the mandate for the deployment of 5,537 troops for MONUC's phase II to
help bolster the Lusaka peace agreement. The agreement, signed in July
1999, requires the United Nations to assist the seven nations involved
in the conflict in achieving a cease-fire and eventually demobilizing
their forces. In phase I, the U.N. deployed military liaison officers
in the various capitals and established a rear military headquarters.
The phase II operation would supervise the cease-fire and provide for
disengagement of the troops in preparation for stage III, which would
require a much larger U.N. force to supervise troop withdrawal and
demobilization and strengthen DRC border security. Phase II was not
structured to protect civilians, separate warring parties, or enforce
the terms of the Lusaka agreement. The peacekeepers were to create
secure conditions on the ground to implement the cease-fire and then
pull back.
In the resolution, the council said that phase II deployment should be
based on three considerations: the parties' respect for the cease-fire
agreement and council resolutions, the development of a valid plan for
the disengagement of forces and redeployment, and firm and credible
assurances from the parties for the security of the U.N. troops.
At the time the force was approved, U.S. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke,
a proponent of the force, highlighted the fact that "in the resolution
the council makes clear that deployment of the U.N. peacekeeping
observer mission in phase II is contingent on the cooperation of the
parties, their commitment, and firm credible assurances to the
secretary-general that they will give full access to the U.N. and
their adherence to the Lusaka process."
Meanwhile the deployment has been stymied by DRC President Laurent
Kabila's refusal to allow U.N. peacekeepers in his country. Hopes that
Kabila might be persuaded to change his mind were dashed August 14
when a Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit failed to
convince Kabila to accept the U.N. troops.
In his letter to the council Annan said that MONUC's deployment has
been prevented "by persistent large-scale fighting in many parts of
the country, severe restrictions imposed by the government and other
parties on the mission's freedom of movement, the refusal of the
government to permit the deployment of United Nations armed troops in
accordance with the decisions of the country ... and, not least, by a
sustained campaign of vilification conducted against MONUC and
individual members of its staff, which has created significant risks
to their security."
The Lusaka peace process is "undergoing an extremely challenging phase
which requires substantial reevaluation not only on the part of its
signatories, but also of the United Nations," Annan said.
"The role MONUC can play under current circumstances remains unclear,"
he added. "At the same time, there have been major developments whose
implications should be fully studied and taken into consideration
before I submit recommendations."
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
