The head of UN peace operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, concluded his week-long visit to the DRC on Friday, September 20, where he met with national and regional authorities to discuss the mandate of MONUSCO. In Kinshasa, he met with President Félix Tshisekedi and the government, before traveling to North Kivu and Ituri to assess the security and humanitarian situation. Jean-Pierre Lacroix also sought to clarify the issue of the supposed date of December 31 for the withdrawal of MONUSCO. A date ” fantasized ” And ” never acted upon by the authorities or by the Security Council “What should we remember from this visit?
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With our correspondent in Kinshasa, Patient Ligodi
Three main points marked this new visit by Jean-Pierre Lacroix in DRC : first, the assessment of the Luanda peace process. The talks between the Congolese and Rwandan authorities are encountering difficulties, recognizes the head of UN peace operations.
But Jean-Pierre Lacroix welcomes the fact that all parties remain engaged and stresses the need to strengthen this mechanism. He also noted that the international community, including the members of the Security Council, remain unanimous on this issue, a relatively rare fact compared to other current international crises.
MONUSCO will do what it can to assist the SADC force
Then, regarding cooperation between the SADC force and MONUSCO, it was noted that this force has not yet reached its full operational capacity, although its deployment is almost complete. The Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) has submitted a detailed list of its needs. In this regard, Jean-Pierre Lacroix was clear: MONUSCO will not be able to meet all these requests, but it will do its best within its means.
Finally, the last point: the withdrawal of the UN force. On this subject, Jean-Pierre Lacroix tempered expectations, specifying that this will depend on upcoming discussions with the Congolese authorities and the decisions of the Security Council.
The humanitarian situation remains very worrying…
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, head of UN peace operations
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