UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday called for accelerated progress toward ending the crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
In his latest report on the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC), Ban said that "the resolution of the crisis in the Kivus and the development of legitimate government institutions are critical benchmarks for the gradual MONUC draw down."
"The steady, albeit slow, progress unfolding in this regard is encouraging but should be accelerated," he wrote.
He noted that both the National and Provincial Assemblies are operating despite contending with a "serious" deficiency of resources and capacity, and urged national authorities to ensure that provincial and local polls are held in a timely manner.
Regarding the volatile eastern region, the report said that the success of the Goma Agreement, signed by the government and various armed groups, and the Nairobi process, under which DRC and Rwanda have agreed to work together against threats to peace and stability in the region, depends on "the sustained political engagement of all parties."
The secretary-general called on the parties to utilize the Amani Program -- the mixed technical commission on peace and security in the Kivus -- to build confidence among themselves and to tackle the issue of refugees and internally displaced persons.
While MONUC will continue to work with the DRC to protect civilians, he warned that the mission is "severely overstretched and faces growing demands with regard to support for the Nairobi and Goma processes," thus requiring enhanced capacity to increase its support to FARDC.
As of May 31, MONUC comprises over 18,000 uniformed personnel, including more than 16,000 troops, nearly 700 military observers and 1,000 police.
Source:Xinhua
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