Hungry for Truth, Peace and Justice

UN-backed operation in DRC suspended amid "very serious humanitarian consequence

By Yan
China View
December 16, 2009

UNITED NATIONS, December 16 (Xinhua) -- The head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC (MONUC) said here on Wednesday that the objective of a UN-backed operation, which will be suspended at the end of this month, has been "largely achieved" amidst "very serious humanitarian consequences."


Alan Doss, the UN secretary-general's special representative in the DRC, briefed the 15-member Security Council at the UN Headquarters in New York on the UN-backed operation Kimia II, in which he told the Council that the focus of the operation had been on "disrupting and dispersing" the concentrated "population centers" of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).

"The objective has been largely achieved although we do recognize that there have been very serious humanitarian consequences," he told the Council.

Amid reports that the FDLR is regrouping and finding new recruits, Doss told reporters here that MONUC's goal was never to dismantle the FDLR.

"Our aim was essentially to move them out of population stronghold that they've dominated for 15 years," Doss said. "It isn't by military pressure alone that the problem of the FDLR will be dealt with."

"We've insisted, for example, on dealing with expatriate leaders of the FDLR -- we've been insisting on dealing with the issue of the illegal exploitation of minerals," Doss said. "That goes beyond MONUC's authority."

"What were engaged in is trying to push forward a process that will finally help to end the almost eternal cycle of violence," Doss said.

"You won't end impunity while you have armed groups that defy the authority of the state and elements in the FARDC that are als oill-disciplined and committing these actions," Doss said.

"We recognize that," he said, stressing that it is "a problem that has to be dealt with at many levels."

In his briefing, Doss stated a "new directive" had been approved by the chief of staff and force commander from the Congolese armed forces known as FARDC.

He told the Security Council that under the new directive, the FARDC and MONUC will focus on preventative measures, such as holding ground recovered from the FDLR and to thwart any future attacks on civilians in areas of vulnerability.

In addition, the new directive would place "focused interventions" in areas where the FDLR may have regained control.

At the focus of these operations, Doss underscored to the Council the "protection of civilians."

In April, the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs wrote in a letter to the head of peacekeeping operations that peacekeepers could not participate in any joint operations with the Congolese Army if there was reason to believe that serious violations of international humanitarian law were being committed.

After briefing the Security Council, Doss told reporters that his office requested those series of opinions from the legal office to turn into working operations on the ground.

"It wasn't that we got a warning," he said. "There are a set of principles we have applied in the form of a policy that can be used on the ground."

Evidence that UN-backed forces were committing human rights violations has partly led to the suspension of Kimia II, said Doss, adding that the UN will continue to monitor the Congolese Army's actions.

"This will be a constant concern that even when the high command is clear, when the instructions have been given, you have elements in the Congolese forces, and that is a risk for us and that is something we have to manage and be aware of," he said. "That is one of the dilemmas we face every single day."

On Sunday, Human Rights Watch released a report detailing the deliberate killing of more than 1,400 civilians between January and September 2009 during two successive Congolese army operations against the FDLR.

"Continued killing and rape by all sides in eastern Congo shows that the UN Security Council needs a new approach to protect civilians," said Anneke Van Woudenberg, senior researcher at HumanRights Watch in a statement. "The Security Council should send a group of experts to Congo to kick-start a serious civilian protection plan."

Related Materials:
Operation Kimia II: Was it worth it?

posted by Mamadou Kouyate @ 11:02 PM