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7910th Security Council Meeting: Situation Concerning DRC
Key Tasks Omitted from Text, Says Permanent Representative, as Some Delegations Cite ‘Penny-Pinching’ Motives in ‘Rush’ to Adoption
The Security Council renewed the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) this morning, extending it until 31 March 2018 while reducing the operation’s troop ceiling by some 3,600 military personnel.
Unanimously adopting resolution 2348 (2017) under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, the 15-member Council decided that MONUSCO would comprise 16,215 military personnel — down from 19,815 under its previous mandate (see Press Release SC/12307 of 30 March 2016) — as well as 391 police and 1,050 formed police units.
Taking into account a recommendation contained in the Secretary-General’s most recent related report (document S/2017/206), the Council also decided to reduce the number of MONUSCO’s military observers from 760 to 660. In addition, it requested that the Secretary-General conduct a strategic review of MONUSCO and examine the continued relevance of its mandated tasks, in order to provide advice on a further troop-level reduction, as well as an exit strategy.
By other terms of the text, the Council called on all stakeholders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including President Joseph Kabila, the presidential majority and the opposition, to swiftly implement the political agreement signed on 31 December 2016. Urging the Government and all relevant parties to ensure an environment conducive to free, fair, credible, inclusive, transparent and timely presidential and legislative elections — due before the end of 2017 — it also called on the country’s Independent National Electoral Commission to publish immediately a revised comprehensive electoral calendar and complete a credible update of the electoral register.
The Council further urged the Congolese Government to hold accountable those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law, or violations and abuses of human rights, in particular potential war crimes and crimes against humanity. Condemning the recent violence in the Kasaï region, it expressed grave concern over serious violations of international humanitarian law by local militias, as well as the reported discovery of mass graves and reports of civilians killed by members of the national security forces.
At the meeting’s outset, the Council observed a moment of silence to honour Michael Sharp and Zaida Catalan, the two members of the Group of Experts assisting the Sanctions Committee monitoring the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the bodies of whom had been found in Kasaï-Central Province on 24 March.
Council members speaking after the resolution was adopted also expressed condolences to the bereaved families, praising the experts’ courageous sacrifice in the pursuit of peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Several speakers welcomed the resolution’s adoption, commending a spirit of compromise that had emerged after lengthy negotiations on troop levels. In that regard, some delegates expressed support for the mandated reductions, noting that they would help MONUSCO become more agile and accountable. Others, however, raised concerns, with the Russian Federation’s representative expressing regret that “exclusively arithmetical considerations” had prevailed in the decision to downsize a peace operation in a highly complex and difficult environment.
France’s representative, the resolution’s main co-sponsor, said the text provided MONUSCO with an adapted and tailored mandate. Drawing attention to the worrying security situation in the country — especially its Kasaï region in which the two United Nations experts had been killed — he said MONUSCO contingents would be used in a more thoughtful way, which would help the Mission better address challenges on the ground. The replacement of certain troops with specialized units would result in a “more active, more agile, more mobile” Mission, he added.
The representative of the United States echoed those sentiments, stressing that “it’s not the number of people we have on the ground”, but the quality of their work. Prioritizing the protection of civilians remained critical, she said, emphasizing that all troops deployed to that end must be held accountable for their actions.
Striking a different tone, Uruguay’s representative underlined that the resolution was “sharply divorced” from reality on the ground. Indeed, the complex situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was characterized by bleak circumstances that showed no signs of improving. The reduction of troop numbers should not affect MONUSCO’s civilian-protection tasks, he cautioned, pointing out that the Council had only ever cut operations and lifted sanctions where progress had been made.
The representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, meanwhile, welcomed the mandate renewal, but voiced regret that, among the Mission’s strategic priorities, the text failed to take disarmament, demobilization and reintegration into account, as well as reform of the justice and security sectors. Noting MONUSCO’s downsizing, he said the Government would continue to participate in the strategic dialogue aimed at defining the schedule leading to the Mission’s orderly withdrawal.
Speaking in his capacity as Chair of the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) Ministerial Committee, was the Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation of the United Republic of Tanzania, who warned that the Congolese Government must not use security concerns as a pretext to renege on or delay its political commitments under the 31 December 2016 agreement. In the course of 2017, MONUSCO would bear special responsibility for securing political space for free, fair and peaceful elections, he said, emphasizing also that the international community must exert pressure on all political actors in the country to overcome the current political impasse.
Also speaking were the representatives of Egypt, Japan, Italy, China, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Sweden, Senegal and the United Kingdom.
The meeting began at 12:05 p.m. and ended at 1:16 p.m.
