UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
3 Mar
2009
MONUC launches an operation codenamed "Thunderstorm" in South Kivu
'MONUC's Thunderstorm operations in South Kivu are proceeding at a quick pace. After the first operations dubbed "Falcon Sweep" and "Iron Fist", launched early July, another operation is now under way. The operation that engages both air and ground units is codenamed 'Thunderstorm.' Altogether, 850 troops are taking part in the operation including 280 troops of the DRC armed forces,' MONUC's military spokesman, Lieutenant-colonel Thierry Provendier told the Mission's Weekly news conference.
The military spokesman reported, 'the ten operations conducted since 4 July were mainly aimed at making contacts with FDLR combatants and getting them to leave peacefully the territories of Kabare and Walungu. There is not a single unlawful left in the territories of Kabare and Walungu and FDLR influence has simply vanished into thin air; as of today, more than 1,000 FDLR combatants have definitely left the region. Altogether, the FDLR troops have abandoned 13 camps. Our forces dismantled them. All the checkpoints where FDLR troops were harassing the population have been dismantled.'
Also present at the news conference, the Director of MONUC DDR and DDRRR, Mr. Peter Swarbrick, who declared, 'MONUC's welcoming facilities are still opened for the FDLR combatants who would volunteer to be repatriated to Rwanda. Our six centres have been operational since FDLR declared to stop their armed struggle.'
Responding to a journalist's question about the fate of the Rwandan combatants' dependants, Mr. Swarbrick said, 'Two or three dependants for each combatant volunteering to return to Rwanda would be accepted. It is up to the FDLR combatants to confirm or invalidate their willingness to return to Rwanda with their dependants.'
The Director of MONUC DDRRR Division also underscored, 'It would unfair to conclude that Rwandan Government has refused to receive FDLR combatants based in Eastern DRC. MONUC's position on that issue is clear: the combatants must return to their home country.'
The Director of MONUC Public Information, Mr. Kemal Saïki, recalled, 'the UN Security Council calls on the FDLR leaders to abide by the commitment they made in Rome on 31 March 2005 to stop armed struggle and to immediately sort out the issue on the repatriation of their combatants.' 'The Security Council reiterated its full support to MONUC and to the robust operations conducted as part of the fulfilment of its mandate,' he further said.
Mr. Saïki read out the declaration issued by the President of the UN Security Council on 13 July 2005 condemning 'with the strongest terms' the massacre of nearly 50 people, most of whom women and children at Ntulumamba, South Kivu on 9 July.'
'The President of the Security Council appealed to the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), William Lacy Swing, to establish the truth of what happened and submit a report as quickly as possible,' he went on to say, noting that 'the Security Council also told Congolese government officials to swiftly find and bring to justice those who have masterminded the crimes and requested MONUC to provide necessary support to the latter.'
Mr. Saïki quoted the President of the Security Council as declaring, 'it would be indispensable to stop armed groups attacks on the populations of the Kivus and Ituri, which not only increase civilians' suffering, but also poses a threat on the regional stability as well as to the holding of the DRC elections.'
The Security Council issued this statement after informal consultations with the Special Representative while Mr Swing was still in New York, Mr Kemal Saiki said. 'There is no alternative to the transition process in the DRC. This transition has experienced several crises from which it has always emerged even stronger that before. The international community and the United Nations is committed to strong and steady support, thus contributing to this transition's success,' said the Director of Public Information, quoting Mr Swing.
Referring to international financial efforts in favour of the electoral process, the director of Public Information noted that 'the recent Brussels meeting of international donors announced a 100 million dollars package, in addition to 158 million dollars already pledged. The international community fulfils its commitments,' he said.
In this regard, Mr Kemal also indicated that 'the Transitional Government and the Armed Forces of the DRC should also assume their share of responsibility in making this transition a success. The government should also contribute to financing these elections and providing the army with the necessary means to secure the country and carry out the talk of disarming armed groups that are plaguing the country's east.'
With respect to neighbouring countries, and especially Uganda, 'MONUC renews its call for their contribution to peace in Congo and in the Great Lakes region,' Mr Saïki announced. 'They have the obligation to stop allowing or tolerating use of their territory as a rear base, security sanctuary, land of asylum or transit axis for arms shipments to Congolese or foreign militias operating in Ituri or the Kivus," he said.
Referring to the agenda of MONUC's head and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the DRC, Mr Mamadou Bah, MONUC's deputy spokesman, indicated that 'Mr Swing is back in Kinshasa from his trip to Belgium and then the United States.
'Today, he is participating in a meeting on essential legislation, at the Palais du Peuple (Parliament). In the course of the day he is to meet with the European Union's special envoy to the Great Lakes, Aldo Ajello,' Mr Bah added.
Mr Mamadou Bah also announced that the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the DRC, Mr Ross Mountain, also UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the DRC, this morning flew out to Paris, France, the first leg of his European tour. 'This Wednesday, 20 July, Mr Mountain is on mission to Paris, at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Tomorrow, Thursday, 21 July, he will be heading to The Hague, Netherlands, for talks with representatives of the Dutch Ministry of foreign Affairs, UN agencies and NGOs. Finally, on Friday, 22 July, Mr Ross Mountain will be in Geneva where he is to meet with several personalities, including Jan Egeland, the UN Deputy Secretary-General and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator,' the deputy spokesman indicated. 'The aim of [Mr Mountain]'s visits is to mobilise financial resources for humanitarian and development needs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,' Mr Bah explained.
Recalling that Mr Ross Mountain, on Friday, 15 July, met with the Group of Experts tasked with monitoring the UN arms embargo against the DRC, the deputy spokesman pointed out that 'on this occasion the head of the delegation, former Senegalese ambassador Déguène Ka, briefed the Deputy Special Represent on the latest in their activities and expressed the Group's gratefulness for MONUC's cooperation.
'Specialised in the fields of civil aviation, customs and finance, the group's experts met with their colleagues of MONUC to discuss the links between the illegal arms trade and the illicit exploitation of the DRC's mineral resources,' Mr Bah noted.
Finally, Mr Mamadou Bah recalled that 'on Monday, 18 July, Mr Mountain wrote to MONUC's heads of office and heads of UN agencies in the towns of Bunia, Goma, Bukavu, Uvira and Kalemie to inform them about the establishment of the newly created Committee for the Protection of Civilians Against Violence and to invite them to set up a similar local structure in their respective provinces.' Explaining that this is a pilot experiment for the UN, the deputy spokesman indicated that in his letter 'the Deputy Specially Representative stressed that, in the work of UN agencies and MONUC, the common denominator is or should be the protection of civilians. While the prevention of attacks against civilians and the response to their suffering has been a long standing priority for UN agencies, it is also a priority for the peacekeeping mission, as well as for the bleu helmets whose mandate is, according to Chapter XII granted by the Security Council, to ensure such protection.'
Also present at the news conference, the Director of MONUC DDR and DDRRR, Mr. Peter Swarbrick, who declared, 'MONUC's welcoming facilities are still opened for the FDLR combatants who would volunteer to be repatriated to Rwanda. Our six centres have been operational since FDLR declared to stop their armed struggle.'
Responding to a journalist's question about the fate of the Rwandan combatants' dependants, Mr. Swarbrick said, 'Two or three dependants for each combatant volunteering to return to Rwanda would be accepted. It is up to the FDLR combatants to confirm or invalidate their willingness to return to Rwanda with their dependants.'
The Director of MONUC DDRRR Division also underscored, 'It would unfair to conclude that Rwandan Government has refused to receive FDLR combatants based in Eastern DRC. MONUC's position on that issue is clear: the combatants must return to their home country.'
The Director of MONUC Public Information, Mr. Kemal Saïki, recalled, 'the UN Security Council calls on the FDLR leaders to abide by the commitment they made in Rome on 31 March 2005 to stop armed struggle and to immediately sort out the issue on the repatriation of their combatants.' 'The Security Council reiterated its full support to MONUC and to the robust operations conducted as part of the fulfilment of its mandate,' he further said.
Mr. Saïki read out the declaration issued by the President of the UN Security Council on 13 July 2005 condemning 'with the strongest terms' the massacre of nearly 50 people, most of whom women and children at Ntulumamba, South Kivu on 9 July.'
'The President of the Security Council appealed to the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), William Lacy Swing, to establish the truth of what happened and submit a report as quickly as possible,' he went on to say, noting that 'the Security Council also told Congolese government officials to swiftly find and bring to justice those who have masterminded the crimes and requested MONUC to provide necessary support to the latter.'
Mr. Saïki quoted the President of the Security Council as declaring, 'it would be indispensable to stop armed groups attacks on the populations of the Kivus and Ituri, which not only increase civilians' suffering, but also poses a threat on the regional stability as well as to the holding of the DRC elections.'
The Security Council issued this statement after informal consultations with the Special Representative while Mr Swing was still in New York, Mr Kemal Saiki said. 'There is no alternative to the transition process in the DRC. This transition has experienced several crises from which it has always emerged even stronger that before. The international community and the United Nations is committed to strong and steady support, thus contributing to this transition's success,' said the Director of Public Information, quoting Mr Swing.
Referring to international financial efforts in favour of the electoral process, the director of Public Information noted that 'the recent Brussels meeting of international donors announced a 100 million dollars package, in addition to 158 million dollars already pledged. The international community fulfils its commitments,' he said.
In this regard, Mr Kemal also indicated that 'the Transitional Government and the Armed Forces of the DRC should also assume their share of responsibility in making this transition a success. The government should also contribute to financing these elections and providing the army with the necessary means to secure the country and carry out the talk of disarming armed groups that are plaguing the country's east.'
With respect to neighbouring countries, and especially Uganda, 'MONUC renews its call for their contribution to peace in Congo and in the Great Lakes region,' Mr Saïki announced. 'They have the obligation to stop allowing or tolerating use of their territory as a rear base, security sanctuary, land of asylum or transit axis for arms shipments to Congolese or foreign militias operating in Ituri or the Kivus," he said.
Referring to the agenda of MONUC's head and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the DRC, Mr Mamadou Bah, MONUC's deputy spokesman, indicated that 'Mr Swing is back in Kinshasa from his trip to Belgium and then the United States.
'Today, he is participating in a meeting on essential legislation, at the Palais du Peuple (Parliament). In the course of the day he is to meet with the European Union's special envoy to the Great Lakes, Aldo Ajello,' Mr Bah added.
Mr Mamadou Bah also announced that the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the DRC, Mr Ross Mountain, also UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the DRC, this morning flew out to Paris, France, the first leg of his European tour. 'This Wednesday, 20 July, Mr Mountain is on mission to Paris, at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Tomorrow, Thursday, 21 July, he will be heading to The Hague, Netherlands, for talks with representatives of the Dutch Ministry of foreign Affairs, UN agencies and NGOs. Finally, on Friday, 22 July, Mr Ross Mountain will be in Geneva where he is to meet with several personalities, including Jan Egeland, the UN Deputy Secretary-General and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator,' the deputy spokesman indicated. 'The aim of [Mr Mountain]'s visits is to mobilise financial resources for humanitarian and development needs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,' Mr Bah explained.
Recalling that Mr Ross Mountain, on Friday, 15 July, met with the Group of Experts tasked with monitoring the UN arms embargo against the DRC, the deputy spokesman pointed out that 'on this occasion the head of the delegation, former Senegalese ambassador Déguène Ka, briefed the Deputy Special Represent on the latest in their activities and expressed the Group's gratefulness for MONUC's cooperation.
'Specialised in the fields of civil aviation, customs and finance, the group's experts met with their colleagues of MONUC to discuss the links between the illegal arms trade and the illicit exploitation of the DRC's mineral resources,' Mr Bah noted.
Finally, Mr Mamadou Bah recalled that 'on Monday, 18 July, Mr Mountain wrote to MONUC's heads of office and heads of UN agencies in the towns of Bunia, Goma, Bukavu, Uvira and Kalemie to inform them about the establishment of the newly created Committee for the Protection of Civilians Against Violence and to invite them to set up a similar local structure in their respective provinces.' Explaining that this is a pilot experiment for the UN, the deputy spokesman indicated that in his letter 'the Deputy Specially Representative stressed that, in the work of UN agencies and MONUC, the common denominator is or should be the protection of civilians. While the prevention of attacks against civilians and the response to their suffering has been a long standing priority for UN agencies, it is also a priority for the peacekeeping mission, as well as for the bleu helmets whose mandate is, according to Chapter XII granted by the Security Council, to ensure such protection.'
