UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
3 Mar
2009
MONUC participates in efforts to finalise the DRC-Rwanda Joint Verification Mechanism
The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mr. William Swing, went to Kigali, Rwanda, on Monday October 4, 2004, to participate in discussions aiming to finalise the Joint Verification Mechanism between the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda, according to MONUC spokesman Mamadou Bah.
Speaking at a weekly news briefing, Mr. Bah said that the meeting, which was also attended by a representative of the African Union, was 'fruitful and took place in a positive atmosphere.' Concrete decisions, like the setting up border-monitoring teams, were reached on that occasion, he explained, adding that other details of implementation of the Mechanism were being finalised.
Mr. Bah recalled that the Governments of the DRC and Rwanda had decided to se up a Joint Verification Mechanism on their common border, during their meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Referring to the adoption, by a unanimous vote of the United Nations Security Council, of resolution 1565 on the new mandate for MONUC, Mr. Bah recalled that the Council authorised an additional 5,900 military and civilian police personnel, bringing the total military strength up to 16,359 from 10,800, and the police force up to 480 from 139. 'MONUC welcomes the adoption of Security Council resolution 1565, and notes that the mandate was extended by six months and that the Council decided to remain actively seized of the matter in order to evaluate the deployment's impact and respond accordingly,' Mr. Bah said.
On the 366 Congolese refugees who had returned to from Burundi, Mr Bah announced that transit centre in Uvira where they were sheltered was closed on Tuesday. 'These former refugees left the transit centre after spending ten days there. Most of them have either joined back their parents or relatives in Uvira, or moved toward different localities of the region, such as Minembwe, Katolo, Bikoboko,' he said, adding that ' the refugees are returning to their villages under the protection of the 10th military region of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARD), which is in charge of their security.'
It was in this context that the Deputy Representative of the High Commissioner for Refugees for the DRC, Mohamad Dayri, who joined Mr. Bah in the briefing, discussed the question of repatriating Congolese refugees in general.
Mr. Dayri announced that repatriation operations for Congolese refugees living in the Central African Republic (CAR) would start on the 20th of October. The refugees will be repatriated from the Central African capital, Bangui, into the neighbouring Congolese Equateur province, he said. A tripartite agreement had been signed between the DRC, CAR and UNHCR in this regard, he added.
Dwelling at length on the guiding principles for UNHCR action with respect refugee repatriation, Mr. Dayri took up that clause by which it is stipulated that repatriation must be carried out on a voluntary basis and that the return to the country of origin must take place in conditions of security and dignity. In the case of Congolese refugees returning from CAR, Mr. Dayri assumed that 'Equateur province offers minimum conditions and guarantees for the return of refugees, although some problems remains.'
Considering the case of 366 Congolese Banyamulenge refugees who returned from Burundi last week, Mr. Dayri noted that UNHCR did not join with that operation because 'minimum conditions were not met.' A successful return, he insisted, requires meeting 'conditions of security and dignity.' Hence he appealed for States to show more political will, without which UNHCR cannot perform its mission well. States should heed UNHCR's concerns about conditions of security and dignity, Mr. Dayri said.
There are some 398,000 Congolese living as refugees in Angola (12,000), Burundi (35,000), CAR (10,000), The Republic of Congo (56,000), Rwanda (33,000), Sudan (1,800), Tanzania (149,00), Uganda (3,800), Zambia (54,000), and over 10,000 others in countries of Southern Africa.
Mr. Bah recalled that the Governments of the DRC and Rwanda had decided to se up a Joint Verification Mechanism on their common border, during their meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Referring to the adoption, by a unanimous vote of the United Nations Security Council, of resolution 1565 on the new mandate for MONUC, Mr. Bah recalled that the Council authorised an additional 5,900 military and civilian police personnel, bringing the total military strength up to 16,359 from 10,800, and the police force up to 480 from 139. 'MONUC welcomes the adoption of Security Council resolution 1565, and notes that the mandate was extended by six months and that the Council decided to remain actively seized of the matter in order to evaluate the deployment's impact and respond accordingly,' Mr. Bah said.
On the 366 Congolese refugees who had returned to from Burundi, Mr Bah announced that transit centre in Uvira where they were sheltered was closed on Tuesday. 'These former refugees left the transit centre after spending ten days there. Most of them have either joined back their parents or relatives in Uvira, or moved toward different localities of the region, such as Minembwe, Katolo, Bikoboko,' he said, adding that ' the refugees are returning to their villages under the protection of the 10th military region of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARD), which is in charge of their security.'
It was in this context that the Deputy Representative of the High Commissioner for Refugees for the DRC, Mohamad Dayri, who joined Mr. Bah in the briefing, discussed the question of repatriating Congolese refugees in general.
Mr. Dayri announced that repatriation operations for Congolese refugees living in the Central African Republic (CAR) would start on the 20th of October. The refugees will be repatriated from the Central African capital, Bangui, into the neighbouring Congolese Equateur province, he said. A tripartite agreement had been signed between the DRC, CAR and UNHCR in this regard, he added.
Dwelling at length on the guiding principles for UNHCR action with respect refugee repatriation, Mr. Dayri took up that clause by which it is stipulated that repatriation must be carried out on a voluntary basis and that the return to the country of origin must take place in conditions of security and dignity. In the case of Congolese refugees returning from CAR, Mr. Dayri assumed that 'Equateur province offers minimum conditions and guarantees for the return of refugees, although some problems remains.'
Considering the case of 366 Congolese Banyamulenge refugees who returned from Burundi last week, Mr. Dayri noted that UNHCR did not join with that operation because 'minimum conditions were not met.' A successful return, he insisted, requires meeting 'conditions of security and dignity.' Hence he appealed for States to show more political will, without which UNHCR cannot perform its mission well. States should heed UNHCR's concerns about conditions of security and dignity, Mr. Dayri said.
There are some 398,000 Congolese living as refugees in Angola (12,000), Burundi (35,000), CAR (10,000), The Republic of Congo (56,000), Rwanda (33,000), Sudan (1,800), Tanzania (149,00), Uganda (3,800), Zambia (54,000), and over 10,000 others in countries of Southern Africa.
