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DR CONGO / SENEGAL PEACEKEEPERS WITHDRAWAL
STORY: DR CONGO / SENEGAL PEACEKEEPERS WITHDRAWAL
TRT: 2.07
SOURCE: MONUC
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: FRENCH / NATS
DATELINE: 16 JUNE 2010, KISANGANI, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
1. Close shot, Senegalese commander
2. Various shots, parade
3. Close shot, soldiers
4. SOUNDBITE (French) Alan Doss, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, United Nations:
"Official or non official soldiers are durable. The authorities are greatly proud of your work to the United Nations here in the DR Congo."
5. Med pan shot, soldiers marching
6. Med pan shot, soldiers marching with flags
7. Close shot, soldiers handing in guns
8. Med shot, soldiers behind trucks
9. SOUNDBITE (French) Col. Cherif Mbodj, Senegalese Army:
"Senegal is a brother country to Congo, it is very close to Congo. Congo is a fantastic country, despite the ruins from the war and instability. But we still have hope that Congo will realize peace and actively participate in the development of its affairs and of the world."
10. Wide shot, line of soldiers at Kisangani airport
11. Wide shot, soldiers boarding plane
12. Med shot, Soldiers shaking hand with a Congolese
13. VOX-POP (French) Senegalese soldier
"We are happy to leave the Congo, we would like to thank the population for hosting us during our stay here. Question: What are going to do when you arrive in Senegal? Answer: I will embrace my children."
14. Med shot, Alan Doss shaking hand with soldiers as they board plane
Two hundred and thirty peacekeepers from Senegal started leaving the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as part of a drawdown of the United Nations (UN) mission in the country (MONUC) on Wednesday (16 June).
At the request of Congolese President Joseph Kabila, 2,000 peacekeepers are to be withdrawn by 30 June, the DRC's 50th anniversary of independence from Belgium.
The departure ceremony was presided over by the outgoing head of MONUC, Alan Doss, UN Special Representative to the Secretary General in the country. He told the Senegalese troops that the UN and Senegal authorities "are greatly proud of your work to the United Nations here in the DR Congo."
115 out of the 460 Peacekeepers from Senegal boarded the plane in Kisangani, DRC's second largest city, for Dakar.
Col. Cherif Mbodj from the Senegalese Army, present at the ceremony, called DRC "a fantastic country, despite the ruins from the war and instability." He added that Senegalese authorities "have hope that Congo will realize peace and actively participate in the development of its affairs and of the world."
The troops from the Senegalese battalion were stationed at Dingila, a remote village Northeast of Kisangani, the capital of Orientale province in east of the country.
One of the homebound soldiers expressed gratitude to the Congolese for hosting them during their mission in the country.
More troops are due to leave at the end of June.
MONUC's mandate was recently renewed until 2011. The mission will be renamed from MONUC (United Nations Mission in the Congo) to MONUSCO (United Nations Mission for Stabilization in the Congo) from July 1.
MONUSCO will mainly focus on civilian protection and stabilization plans.
Rebels from the Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) are still active in the region. They have killed hundreds of Congolese in the past months.
DRC has been at civil war from 1998-2003. The war had cost more than 5 million lives.
Potential withdrawals are likely happen in the west of the country where there is less conflict.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon recently appointed Roger Meece, a former U.S. ambassador to the DRC, to replace Doss who leaves the mission at the end of June.
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