Mission extended
July 1, 2011
The MONUSCO peacekeeping force will stay at least until 30 June 2012 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Conflict-ridden areas in the east are posing particular challenges. But MONUSCO spokesman Madnodje Mounoubai said the situation is particular difficult in that region.
"You cannot expect 20,000 troops to give full security to about 10 million people in a territory that is twice the size of France," Mounoubai said. "What we are doing is working with the government of the DRC to strengthen security in this country. We are supporting the FARDC, which is the national army, and we are working to train the police to better fulfill their duty of bringing security to the people."
The UN was also making efforts to protect the civilian population when it sent the first blue helmet soldiers to Kinshasa 12 years ago: a total of 500 military observers. Today, MONUSCO is one of the largest and most expensive UN peacekeeping missions. Some 20,000 soldiers and civilian forces swallow up $1.4 billion (967 million euros) per year. Despite their presence, the war continues in DRC's east.
"Just today we heard that a vehicle in the north was attacked and people have been attacked in a village in North Kivu," said Lyn Lusi, co-founder of the NGO Heal Africa in Goma. "This is constantly happening."
She has operated a hospital on the border to Rwanda for the past 15 years. It mainly treats rape victims and those traumatized by the war.
"Women are specifically targeted in the attacks, but they're not the only victims," Lusi said. "The children are taken captive, young girls are captured by these armed bands, men are killed and properties looted."
Difficult terrain
The three provinces of North and South Kivu, as well as Maniema are chronic trouble spots. Mai Mai militia and rebels from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) are hiding in the impassable areas. The UN has 95 percent of its troops stationed here, but it is still difficult for them to control the situation. Jean-Paul Dietrich, military spokesman of the UN mission from 2008 to 2010, said it's partially due to the geography.
"The local militia, in particular the FDLR, has much better knowledge of the area than the troops do," Dietrich said. "The rebels are active in very inaccessible areas and neither the UN nor the troops have enough mobility to effectively act against them."
Nonetheless, the MONUSCO mission has shown results. Thousands of former rebels, for example, have been integrated into the Congolese army. It is a great contribution to the demobilization, Dietrich said.
A high price to pay
But this also means that the fighters have put down their weapons as rebels and picked them up again as soldiers. So a change of mindset doesn't necessarily take place. The weapon dictates the behavior, Dietrich said.
"The cooperation between MONUSCO and the Congolese army is subject to great fluctuation," he said. The integration of former rebels did not mean that all now had awareness of human rights issues or the correct manners to deal with the civilian population, he added.
"Unfortunately, very massive human rights violations still occur," Dietrich said.
The UN soldiers are dependent on the civilian population for their operations. But civilians are increasingly scared. Too often, the UN and Congolese army have lost their trust. There are cases of UN soldiers, who sold food for sex or mass rapes by the FDLR where the UN didn't intervene. These are incidents that must be condemned in the harshest of terms and punished, Dietrich said.
"Militarily, there has maybe been some improvements, but the civilian population has had to pay a relatively high price for them," he said.
Heal Africa's Lusi welcomed the UN's decision to extend the MONUSCO mandate from July 1 for another year.
"We know very well that we would be in total chaos if there had not been the presence of the United Nations forces," Lusi said. "People complain because they want more and expect more from their presence. Sometimes I think their expectations are unrealistic. But certainly we know that things would be much worse if they were not present."
Author: Stefanie Duckstein / sac
Editor: Rob Mudge