British Minister of State for Africa, Lord Mark Malloch Brown, was in the clash-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on a three-day peace mission, amid reports of fresh fighting between the government and Tutsi rebels.
Brown told reporters on Monday that a durable solution to the crisis lies in the reinforcement of the role of the MONUC, the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC.
Brown, who arrived earlier in the day, made the remarks after talks with DRC Prime Minister Adolphe Muzito.
The British minister stressed that the position is shared by the international community and the UN Security Council will adopt a resolution this week to that end.
Meanwhile, UN officials reported the resumption of clash between the government forces and the rebel National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP). One of the peacekeepers was wounded in the crossfire on Sunday when the CNDP claimed to gain ground near Rwindi in the eastern province of North Kivu.
The CNDP accused the government of launching attacks first nearly in the wake of the good-offices mission by UN special envoy for DRC Olusegun Obasanjo.
Before his departure from North Kivu, the former Nigerian president said that he had met with CNDP leader Laurent Nkunda inJomba and Nkunda pledged to respect the ceasefire he had unilaterally called on Oct. 29, if not attacked. The rebel leader also agreed to maintain humanitarian corridors for aid to refugees.
UN officials have confirmed that the UN Security Council hopes to vote this week on a resolution that would boost the MONUC from the current 17,000 troops to nearly 20,000 to help avert a repeat of the 1998-2003 war.
Fighting resumed in August after the government and the rebels signed a UN-brokered deal in January in Goma. The renewed conflict has displaced 250,000 people and threatened the stability of the Great Lakes region in Africa.
Source:Xinhua
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