UN / DR CONGO

Democratic Republic of Congo's Ambassador Atoki Ileka says the Congolese people do not want to be led to the "slaughter-house" and "desire peace now" as the Security Council extends the mandate of its peacekeeping mission in the country calling for a better protection of civilians. UNTV / FILE

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:42
• Production Date: 23 December 2009
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS OBSERVER MISSSION IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO - MONUC
• Subject Topical: PEACE AND SECURITY
• Geographic Subject: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
• MAMS Id: U091223a

Description

STORY: UN / DR CONGO
TRT: 1:42
SOURCE: UNTV / MONUC
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: FRENCH / ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 23 DECEMBER 2009, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

Shotlist

FILE – UNTV – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

UNTV - 23 DECEMBER 2009, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, Security Council chamber
3. Wide shot, DR Congo Ambassador taking a seat at Security Council
4. Med shot, Security Council President raising his hand to vote
5. Pan left, Security Council voting
6. SOUNDBITE (French) Ambassador Atoki Ileka, Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo:
“The Congolese people no longer want the beasts of burden who are led to the slaughterhouse in the name of some supreme sacrifice. They desire peace and they desire peace now.”
7. Cutaway, other Ambassadors listening to briefing
8. SOUNDBITE (French) Ambassador Atoki Ileka, Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo:
“This criticism as we know is the results of the opinions which are strongly influenced by those who are profiting from the instability in the east of the DRC and the entire great lakes region.”
9. Cutaway, other Ambassadors listening to briefing
10. Pan left, UK Ambassador walking to Security Council media stakeout
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, Permanent Representative of the UK:
“It is clearly unacceptable for any UN peacekeeping force to be involved in any way with units that might be creating human rights abuses.”
12. Pan right, UK Ambassador leaving the stakeout

FILE – MONUC - 26 MAY 2009, BAMUKANDI VILLAGE (5KMS FROM DUNGU), HAUT-UELE, NORTHEASTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

13. Various shots, people in village burned down by LRA

FILE – MONUC - 1 NOVEMBER 2009, MARABO, ITURI DISTRICT, BUNIA AND DUNGU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

14. Various shots, women
15. Tracking shot, MONUC’s Moroccan peacekeepers in military jeep

FILE – MONUC - 24 APRIL 2009, DUNGU, NORTHEASTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

16. Various shots, MONUC soldiers at food distribution

Storyline

The Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution today extending the mandate of the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) for five more months. The resolution called for a better protection of civilians in the country.

Congolese Ambassador Atoki Ileka, who addressed Council members after the vote, said that the Congolese people, who have suffered decades of conflict, displacement and poverty, do not want to be “led to the slaughterhouse” anymore and “desire peace now.”

According to the United Nations (UN), since 1998, over 3.8 million people have been killed in the conflict in the DRC. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and MONUC reported earlier this week that rebel groups such as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) have killed at least 1,200 people, abducted 1,400 and displaced about 230,000 people in the last ten months alone.
The new resolution, which maintains the strength of MONUC at its current level of 21,000 peacekeepers, calls on both MONUC and the DRC government to protect civilians. In order to ensure such protection, MONUC will continue to support the DRC government’s security sector reform.

Earlier this month, however, MONUC suspended logistical or other support for units of DRC’s National Armed Forces (FARDC) when certain units of FARDC were suspected of violating human rights. In the new resolution, the S ecurity Council reiterated that MONUC's support is conditional upon FARDC’s respect for human rights.

In response to this, the Congolese Ambassador, said that criticism against FARDC “is the result of the opinions which are strongly influenced by those who are profiting from the instability in the east of the DRC and the entire Great Lakes region.” He called upon the UN to refrain from listening to such doomsayers and focus on succeeding in bringing peace to the country instead.

UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant told reporters at the Security Council stakeout later today that it was “clearly unacceptable for any UN peacekeeping force to be involved in any way with units that might be creating human rights abuses.”

Shortly following the suspension of MONUC’s support, the UN confirmed that FARDC adopted joint directives for operations against rebels with the protection of civilians as the core focus. The UN Department of Peacekeeping reported that FARDC’s military operations in the Dungu area of the northern Orientale province to protect civilians from possible LRA attack began today and should continue for three more weeks.

The new resolution also requests UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to conduct a strategic review of the situation in the country and of MONUC’s progress toward achieving its mandate.