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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |
DRC: MONUC gets a stronger mandate, troops increased to 10,800
NAIROBI, 29 July 2003 (IRIN) - The UN Security Council unanimously adopted on Monday a resolution giving the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) a stronger mandate and increasing its authorised strength from 8,700 to 10,800 troops. The council also extended the mission's mandate for another year, until 30 July 2004.
In a statement from its New York headquarters, the UN said that in adopting Resolution 1493 (2003), the 15-member council also instituted a 12-months arms embargo against foreign and Congolese armed groups in the east of the country.
The move was aimed at preventing "the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer" of arms to armed groups and militias operating in North and South Kivu and in Ituri, areas that have been hit by heavy fighting in recent months.
In separate statements, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, welcomed the council's decision.
"It [the decision] marks another important step towards stabilising the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as the determination of the international community to bring to an end this regional crisis," Solana said.
Annan said the road ahead over the next two or three years toward free and fair elections in the Congo would be difficult.
"In the final analysis, however, there will be no substitute for the resolve of the Congolese leaders to implement their commitment towards peace," he said. "It is my sincere hope that they will continue to do so, and thereby bring an end to the terrible suffering that has been endured by the Congolese people for too long."
The council's resolution enables MONUC to act under Chapter Seven of the UN Charter, which authorizes the use of "all necessary means" to fulfil its mandate in eastern Congo - Ituri District and North and South Kivu.
It authorises MONUC to take the necessary measures in the areas of deployment of its armed units to protect civilians and humanitarian workers under imminent threat of physical violence and to protect UN personnel and facilities.
Under the new mandate, MONUC would now be able to ensure freedom of movement for UN staff, particularly those engaged in "missions of observation, verification or demobilisation, disarmament, repatriation, reintegration or resettlement; and contribute to the improvement of security conditions in which humanitarian assistance is provided", the council said.
"Through the resolution adopted today, the Security Council has placed MONUC, in coordination with UN agencies and donors, in a key role to help the Congolese achieve a sustainable peace leading to a democratically elected government," Annan said.
The council adopted the resolution at the end of a meeting held to discuss the situation in the Congo. A special report by Annan on MONUC, in which he recommended the extension and strengthening of the mission's mandate, was discussed at the meeting.
Solana said the EU would fully support the implementation of the UN resolution by ensuring a "smooth and efficient" handover of security and stabilisation tasks in Ituri between the strengthened MONUC force and the French-led interim multinational emergency force that is mandated to remain in Bunia, the main town in Ituri, until 1 September.
The current situation in the Congo is that although a transitional government has been installed in the capital, Kinshasa, insecurity persists in the east.
[The Security Council statement is available online at: www.un.org]
Themes: (IRIN) Conflict
[ENDS]
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