UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
3 Mar
2009
William Swing received by Gabonese President in Libreville
The Gabonese President, Omar Bongo Ondimba, received the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of Congo, William Lacy Swing on Tuesday, 13 April 2004, in Libreville, Gabon. Both personalities reviewed the ongoing situation in the DRC.
The Special Representative and the Gabonese President, among other things, brought up issues relating to the organisation of the elections that should put an end to the Congolese Transition in June 2005 and the creation of a unified national army and an integrated police force. With regard to the last issue, Mr. Swing requested the deployment of a Gabonese police force within the framework of the MONUC Civilian Police (CIVPOL). Of the 11 African troop-contributing countries to the CIVPOL, there is only one Central African country, Cameroon.
Earlier, the head of MONUC apprised the Gabonese President of the progress made by the process of the putting-in-place of the Transitional Institutions. He also informed President Bongo of the redeployment of MONUC troops to Ituri and the Kivus, before mentioning the constant and unprecedented support of the International Community in favour of the return of a lasting peace to the DRC and the sub-regions of central Africa and the Great Lakes. In this context, Mr. Swing indicated that the repatriation of foreign armed groups is proceeding, indicating that as of now nearly 11,000 Rwandan, Ugandan and Burundian ex-combatants, including their dependents, have returned home. This result is encouraging, further said the Special Representative, who reiterated MONUC?s willingness to back the efforts of the Congolese and Rwandan Governments aimed to sort out definitively, by the end of the year, the issue regarding the presence of foreign armed groups in the Congolese territory.
The visit of the Special Representative to Gabon is part of his regular contact with regional leaders playing a role in the DRC peace process. Gabon is a member of the International Committee for the Support of the Transition (CIAT) and the Club des Amis de la RDC (Club of DRC?s friends).
Earlier, the head of MONUC apprised the Gabonese President of the progress made by the process of the putting-in-place of the Transitional Institutions. He also informed President Bongo of the redeployment of MONUC troops to Ituri and the Kivus, before mentioning the constant and unprecedented support of the International Community in favour of the return of a lasting peace to the DRC and the sub-regions of central Africa and the Great Lakes. In this context, Mr. Swing indicated that the repatriation of foreign armed groups is proceeding, indicating that as of now nearly 11,000 Rwandan, Ugandan and Burundian ex-combatants, including their dependents, have returned home. This result is encouraging, further said the Special Representative, who reiterated MONUC?s willingness to back the efforts of the Congolese and Rwandan Governments aimed to sort out definitively, by the end of the year, the issue regarding the presence of foreign armed groups in the Congolese territory.
The visit of the Special Representative to Gabon is part of his regular contact with regional leaders playing a role in the DRC peace process. Gabon is a member of the International Committee for the Support of the Transition (CIAT) and the Club des Amis de la RDC (Club of DRC?s friends).
