DR Congo: Evaluation of joint actions between government, MONUSCO and the Kenyan force
Kinshasa, DR Congo (PANA) - The government of DR Congo, MONUSCO and the Kenyan force have jointly assessed their joint actions and ways to strengthen and plan future operations.
The decision was taken during two security and defence meetings chaired on Friday by Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi at the African Union compound in Kinshasa.
The first meeting concerned the renewal of MONUSCO's mandate, based on UN Security Council Resolution 26-66.
It was therefore a question of taking stock of the relationship between the DRC government and MONUSCO, in the spirit of the resolution adopted, which also mentioned the plan to withdraw the UN mission, said the Minister of Communication and Media and government spokesperson, Patrick Muyaya, in his report.
However, he added, the second meeting, extended to Kenyan forces, was to discuss the respective joint missions to be carried out within the framework of the regional force.
The head of MONUSCO, Ms Bintou Keita, said Resolution 26-66 clearly indicated the path that must be followed with the Congolese government so that, in an accelerated manner, by implementing the transition plan that must be re-evaluated, milestones 1-4-15, resulting from the electoral process, could be discussed within a framework of understanding that had been agreed with the head of state.
It is recalled that MONUSCO's mandate in the DR Congo was extended by one year in a resolution adopted on 20 December last by the UN Security Council.
MONUSCO's uniformed personnel ceiling is 14,000 military personnel, 660 military observers and staff officers, 591 police officers, and 1,050 members of formed police units.
MONUSCO's strategic priorities in this new mandate are centred around two objectives: protecting civilians and supporting the stabilization and strengthening of state institutions in the DRC as well as key governance and security reforms.
MONUSCO is also called upon to work with the Office of the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Great Lakes, Huang Xia, in the search for political solutions to stop the cross-border flow of armed combatants, arms and minerals from conflicts that threaten peace and stability in the DRC.
The text of the resolution also stressed the need to gradually hand over MONUSCO's tasks to the DRC government, the UN country team and other relevant stakeholders in order to allow for a "responsible and sustainable exit" from the peace operation.
In addition, a total of 903 members of the Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF) are deployed in North Kivu, the Congolese province that has been rocked for almost a year by the resurgence of the 23 March Movement (M23).
These soldiers are part of the East African force. Since the end of October, this armed group has taken control of part of North Kivu. The DRC accuses Rwanda of actively supporting the M23.
-0- PANA KON/JSG/BBA/RA 7Jan2023
