UN delegates to assess security situation in east DR Congo
Friday March 10 2023
The UN Security Council holds a meeting at UN Headquarters in New York on March 7, 2023. PHOTO | YUKI IWAMURA | AFP
A delegation of the United Nations Security Council on Thursday evening arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) capital Kinshasa ahead of a visit to Goma in North Kivu Province, a city currently plagued by rebel attacks.
The main objective of the visit is to assess the security situation in the DRC and the implementation of The United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Monusco) mandate, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2666 of 2022.
The council’s schedule
In Kinshasa, the UN Security Council delegates will meet with DRC’s President Félix Tshisekedi, Prime Minister Sama Lukonde, government officials, speakers of the national assembly and the senate, political actors, civil society representatives, the diplomatic community, Monusco and the UN system in the country.
With the DRC authorities, the Council members will discuss the ongoing electoral process, which will lead to presidential and legislative elections in December. The security situation in North Kivu will also be discussed, as the war between the M23 and the DRC army continues despite calls for a ceasefire from the heads of state in the East African region.
Monusco forces prepare to go on patrol in Goma on November 9, 2022. PHOTO | ALEXIS HUGUET | AFP
The visit of the Security Council members comes at a time when the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels have resumed mass killings in North Kivu. On the night of 8-9 March, at least 36 people were killed with machetes in two villages in North Kivu.
The Security Council mission is jointly led by France and Gabon.
Several experts from the council, support teams from the UN General Secretariat as well as the UN Secretariat of the Department of Safety and Security are in Kinshasa.
The delegation will arrive in Goma on Saturday, March 11. It will have a working session with the Military Governor Constant Ndima before meeting with the Monusco force. The other important step will be a meeting with the East African Community Regional Force, the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) and the members of the Ad Hoc Verification Mechanism decided by the Luanda process.
Read: Rebels, troops clash in DR Congo
A series of meetings is planned with provincial authorities, representatives of women's groups from North Kivu civil society, internally displaced persons and regional actors present in DRC.
On March 12, 2023, a press conference in Goma will close the Security Council's visit to the DRC.