The deployment of additional blue helmets in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will help create space for political and diplomatic peace efforts, top UN envoy to the vast African nation Alan Doss said Wednesday.
Last week, the UN Security Council approved a temporary increase of more than 3,000 troops to augment the 17,000 uniformed personnel already serving with the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, known by its French acronym MONUC.
Doss, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative and head of the mission, told reporters after briefing the Security Council on Wednesday that discussions were underway with potential troop-contributing nations.
"Above all, we want to stabilize the situation so that the political and diplomatic processes can go forward," he said. "I don't think the solution to the problems of the Congo and the eastern DRC lie exclusively in military force."
But he warned the council in the open meeting that it would take "a couple of months" before the extra forces authorized by the 15-member body are on the ground, and reiterated his call for a multinational force as a "bridging measure" until MONUC is reinforced.
"We should also be mindful that MONUC's presence should not replace the national authority and security forces in their responsibility to protect civilians and protect the territory of the DRC," the Representative added.
Former Nigerian president and the UN Secretary-General's envoy Olusegun Obasanjo has wrapped up his first phase of talks with regional leaders, including DRC President Joseph Kabila and general Laurent Nkunda who heads the rebel militia known as the Congress in Defence of the People (CNDP).
Escalating conflict between government forces (FARDC) and the CNDP has uprooted an estimated 250,000 people in the past three months, mainly in North Kivu province, which borders Rwanda. Other armed groups, including the Mayi Mayi, have also been involved in deadly clashes, some of which have been along ethnic lines.
The escalating violence has had a "profound impact" on MONUC, Doss noted, adding that the "already overstretched" mission has had to assume responsibility for the protection of civilians in North Kivu and aid in the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
Source:Xinhua
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