The government of the DR-Congo has expressed its unwillingness to renew the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping mission to the Congo beyond May31, 2010. And, the UN Security Council delegation in the DR-Congo will, I’m sure, try to negotiate with the government of the Congo. If a clear reason is up to now unknown, certainly the plausible one should be procrastination attitude.
It often time happens when there is a deferment of actions or tasks to a later time. In this case the deferment is related to the reform of the United Nations and of the DR-Congo security sectors. In fact, the reform of the UN has been highly demanded by members’ states, donors and the civil society around the world. The reform of the security sectors in the DR-Congo was part of the Sun City peace agreement.
The unintended consequence of the United Nations resistance to reform is being felt by the UN peacekeeping mission and operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo known by its French acronym as MONUC. The Unintended consequence of delaying reform of the security sectors in the Democratic Republic of Congo by the Congolese government makes the UN peacekeeping mission mandate to protect counterproductive and irrelevant to the eyes of Congolese populations, mainly to those from the eastern Congo whose demand for protection and security is increasing every day.
Thus, it gives more reason to militia such as Mayi-Mayi in South and CNDP in North-Kivu to refuse to be disarmed and to local populations to trust more their tribal militia.
Ending in May 31, 2090, the UN peacekeeping mission was renewed in December 2009. Only God’s know what will happen after.
Therefore, the Congolese American Council for Peace and Reconciliation, CACPD recommends:
- The Reform of the United Nations to be considered by all the UN members as an urgency of the time.
- The donors’ countries who pledged to financially support the Congolese government effort to reform its security sectors to honor their pledges.
- The Congolese government and the UN Security Council to work on the exit strategy of the UN peacekeeping mission to Congo based on the needs and expectations of the populations of the Eastern Congo and not otherwise.
- The UN peacekeeping mission to Congo to make sure that its rapprochement’ effort targets the local population in Congo and the Congolese Diaspora (A Urbi et Orbi approach).
By: Fidele A. Lumeya
Congolese-American Council for Peace and Development, CACPD
Email: congoamerican@yahoo.com
Web: www.cacpdusa.org
