Security Council briefed on obstacles to UN deployment in DR of Congo
9 November -- The United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) faces a number of difficulties which are blocking its deployment, a senior UN peacekeeping official told the Security Council today.
Briefing the Council in a closed-door meeting described as a "brainstorming session," Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Hédi Annabi provided details on a range of problems facing MONUC, according to UN spokesman Manoel de Almeida e Silva.
"The main problems remain the possibility of further violations of the ceasefire, uncertainty over the status of the Lusaka Accord, and the lack of freedom of movement for UN personnel in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)," the spokesman said. He pointed to a recent study showing that in a three-week period last month, the DRC Government had cancelled 21 out of a total of 32 MONUC flights.
The Security Council set up MONUC after the DRC and regional States signed the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement in 1999. MONUC has an authorized strength of 5,537 military personnel, including up to 500 military observers, supported by specialists in human rights, humanitarian affairs, public information, child protection, political affairs, and medical and administrative support. As of 1 November, 218 military observers, 24 troops, and 207 international and 117 local civilian personnel were deployed in the field.
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