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7998th Security Council Meeting: Situation Concerning DRC
Permanent Representative Defends Law Enforcement as Peacekeeping Chief Cites Government Personnel for Widespread Rights Violations
Several Security Council members insisted today that the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo hold free, fair, and inclusive elections by the end of the year and without further delay, as the head of United Nations peacekeeping briefed them on the situation in that country.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, painted a grim picture of the situation on the ground, saying that overcoming the current political impasse, rising insecurity and worsening humanitarian conditions would require the concerted effort of the Government in Kinshasa as well as regional and international actors.
He was presenting the Secretary-General’s reports on implementation of the political agreement of 31 December 2016 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (document S/2017/435), and on the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (document S/2017/565). He expressed concern that implementation of the 31 December political agreement — which sets out a blueprint for the country’s peaceful transition of power through democratic elections by the end of 2017 — had stalled, and that critical institutions, essential to holding elections, had still not been established. Fighting and violence continued at disturbing levels and the number of displaced people, now well into the millions, continued to rise.
Human rights violations remained widespread, some even perpetrated by Government forces, he continued, emphasizing the vital role of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). Through a combination of human rights monitoring and political outreach, the Mission was helping to restore a measure of stability wherever it could. While encouraged by President Joseph Kabila’s assurances of his determination to ensure that crimes would not go unpunished, he emphasized that such statements must be followed by action. The level of cooperation that Kinshasa would provide to the team of international investigators appointed by the Human Rights Council would be a test of its commitment to accountability.
In the ensuing discussion, the representative of the United States said the Congolese people deserved to have their voices heard. The United States would take action to sanction anybody who stood in the way of the transition to democracy, she warned, emphasizing: “The election must not be delayed.” Those responsible for undermining peace and security in the Democratic Republic of the Congo must be held accountable, she added, underlining the international community’s narrow window of opportunity to exert pressure on the Congolese Government to stand by its commitments.
Several Council members also stressed the need to move forward with election preparations, with France’s representative calling upon the authorities to publish an electoral schedule, as stipulated in the 31 December political agreement. The United Kingdom’s representative pointed out that political uncertainty in Kinshasa was fuelling violent instability across the country and threatening the wider region.
The recent spate of violence in the Kasaï provinces was particularly worrisome, Council members stressed, with Bolivia’s speaker noting with concern the 1,400 human rights violations that had occurred between March and May. Armed groups had recruited more than 500 children, and 600 cases of sexual violence had been recorded since August 2016. “This type of violence should not go unpunished,” he emphasized. Japan’s representative, noting that the Catholic Church had reported 3,300 killings in Kasaï since last October, urged the Council to monitor whether MONUSCO’s current posture was sufficient to ensure dynamic protection of civilians.
Council members also voiced support for the international investigation mandated by the Human Rights Council, urging the Congolese Government to offer its full cooperation. No stone should be left unturned in efforts to deliver justice in the murder of United Nations experts Zaida Catalán and Michael Sharp, Sweden’s representative stressed.
Responding, the representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo said the investigation into the killing of the United Nations experts was under way, and the Government would conduct it in a transparent manner. He added that 11 suspects had been arrested, eight of whom had been identified as having played a direct role in the two murders. He also expressed surprise at the virulence of the Council’s criticism of his country’s law-enforcement agencies, insisting they had not committed abuses. The Government condemned abuse and had adopted measures to punish perpetrators, he emphasized.
Turning to the elections, he said efforts were under way to update the voter register and 13 of the country’s 26 provinces had been covered. However, operations had not yet begun in Kasaï and Kasaï-central due to insecurity created by the Kamwina Nsapu militia. However, the Electoral Commission had registered 33 million of an expected 45 million voters, he added, stressing that the polls required the participation of all provinces. “We cannot envisage the conduct of such critical presidential elections while excluding the Kasaï provinces,” he said, stressing that the results must be credible. “We need to avoid unrest.”
As for security, he said some 1,700 militia members had laid down their arms and received reintegration kits from the Government. In response to MONUSCO’s claim of having discovered seven mass graves, he said only one body had been discovered in one alleged grave, while a 12-calibre weapon had been found in the second.
Also speaking today were representatives of Uruguay, Kazakhstan and Italy.
The meeting began at 10:06 a.m. and ended at 11:20 a.m.
