UN says withdrawal of DR Congo mission not imminent

9 hours ago

KINSHASA (AFP) — In a pledge of commitment, a UN Security Council delegation visiting Kinshasa on Saturday said it is not likely to withdraw its MONUC mission from the Democratic Republic of the Congo soon.

"We have come to reaffirm the Security Council's commitment to contribute to the consolidation of peace and stability in DRC, in particular through the UN's mission in DRC," with an eventual "gradual retreat" in mind, French ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert told media.

With around 19,000 civil and military personnel, MONUC is the UN's largest peace-keeping mission.

Ripert, who is heading the Council's delegation in DRC, met with President Joseph Kabila who he said has "a very clear vision of the future and of his country" and the significant security and humanitarian problems it faces.

"He maintains good relations with MONUC, but he hopes that one day..., MONUC could withdraw, though he knows this is not for tomorrow," said Ripert.

The UN is actively supporting DRC peace processes drawn up in Nairobi and Goma.

A UN-backed joint Congolese-Rwandan deal signed in November 2007 in Nairobi, outlines disarmament and the repatriation of Rwandan Hutu rebels currently in DRC.

The January 23 agreement signed in Goma between the government and various rebel groups aims to end months of clashes in Nord- and Sud-Kivu that have displaced more than one million people.

For the Council delegation, reestablishment of the State's authority in DRC first requires reforming the country's security and justice sectors, said Ripert.

The stakes are clear to Kabila, who expressed his determination to fight against impunity in DRC, according to South Africa's ambassador to the Security Council, Dumisani Kumalo.

"The president thinks that what the ICC (International Criminal Court) is doing is a good job and that the people they are arresting cannot stay in impunity," he said, referring to the arrest of three Congolese heads of militia and the former DRC vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba.

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