At least 100,000 people are cut off from humanitarian aid by fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and the United Nations Security Council needed urgently to authorize another 3,000 peacekeepers, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a news conference at UN headquarters in New York on November 11. Excerpts:
Let me turn now to [the African Union (AU) regional summit on] the situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Great Lakes region, which I attended last Friday in Nairobi. The summit issued a statement calling on all armed groups in North Kivu to observe an immediate ceasefire. It also decided to field a team of facilitators, which will report to the AU Chair, the regional chair and the Secretary-General of the United Nations. I left Nairobi somewhat encouraged by these steps. The Heads of State were frank with each other.
Presidents [Paul] Kagame and [Joseph] Kabila joined other regional leaders around the table for the discussions, which touched on some of the most difficult aspects of the situation. I am heartened that Rwanda and the DRC continue to discuss the crisis between themselves.
Everyone has a better sense of what needs to be done at this time. For this reason I welcome the decision by Southern African leaders of SADC (the Southern African Development Community) to provide immediate military and humanitarian aid, as well as their diplomatic initiatives to come up with a regional solution to these urgent military and political problems.
But first and foremost, we must stabilize the situation on the ground and end this needless violence and suffering. UN agencies are delivering food, medicine, fresh water and sanitation supplies to areas where they can operate, most particularly in Goma.
But at least 100,000 refugees are cut off in areas north of the city, chiefly around Rutshuru and East Masisi. Because of the ongoing fighting, these people have received virtually no assistance. Their situation has grown increasingly desperate. I urgently call for an immediate ceasefire in these areas to allow humanitarian assistance to reach many thousands of displaced persons.
We remain caught in a very volatile and dangerous moment for the DRC and for the region. Despite the Nairobi declaration, there are continued reports of sporadic fighting. I am very concerned by reports of targeted killings of civilians, looting and rape. I want to remind all parties that, when the laws of war are violated, personal criminal responsibility may ensue, particularly for those in positions of command and control…..
Secretary-General, do you think that 3,000 extra troops need to be sent to the eastern Congo, and do you worry that if those troops aren't sent, the UN could fail in its mission there to protect the people?
I have requested on an urgent basis to the Security Council for additional resources and manpower. That's somewhere around 3,000; a little more than 3,000 soldiers. I hope the Security Council will consider this positively and favourably as soon as possible.
My meeting with African regional leaders in Nairobi last week again reaffirmed my recommendation. And it is also based on the recommendations and wishes of many African leaders there. MONUC (United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo), while they have been working very hard to protect peace and stability and to protect the civilians there, has been overstretched. Therefore, we urgently need some additional resources.
I am still concerned that even with the strong joint statement by the African leaders, supported by the United Nations, the sporadic fighting is still taking place, and there are serious human consequences. We have 250,000 displaced persons. As I said in my remarks, at least 100,000 people have been cut off from basic necessities. This is a very serious and dire situation. I am mobilizing all necessary UN humanitarian agencies, in close partnership with international partners, to provide humanitarian assistance. After the Nairobi meeting, I have convened brief meetings with Western countries, participants -- the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada, Japan and there was an African Union representative also; the European Union was represented by France; and the United States. I have appealed to them, first of all, to provide whatever necessary humanitarian assistance and also report positively for the necessity and importance of providing additional resources to MONUC….
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Secretary-General, there were some wire reports this morning, from AP and BBC as well, on the situation of child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There seems to be some recruitment going on at schools. What is the UN going to do to step up protection of those civilians, in particular the 100,000 refugees that are not receiving any UN aid or assistance?
This child soldier [issue] is a very serious issue, to which the United Nations has taken a very strong position. MONUC has been investigating all the allegations of human rights violations, including child soldiers, rape and looting. They have received very strong, strict instructions to monitor the situation and to protect human rights in all aspects. For the 100,000 people whose life line has been cut off, I am trying to explore all the possibilities available within UN agencies and other human rights groups.
