The members of the United Nations Security Council complete this Sunday in Goma, the capital of North Kivu, their mission in the DRC. Meanwhile, in Kinshasa, the hostilities in the east of the country were the pretext for a demonstration by opposition parties.
The objective of the UN mission is to better understand the security and humanitarian situation on the ground marked by the advance of the M23 supported by Rwanda, but also the evaluation of the effectiveness of the UN mission which faces many challenges. On Saturday, they notably exchanged with the leaders of Monusco as well as the military governor of North Kivu, General Constant Ndima, according toour special correspondent in Goma, Patient Ligodi.
At Monusco headquarters, Nicolas de Rivière, ambassador and permanent representative of France to the Security Council, steps forward and lays the wreath in front of the memorial. After 2017, 2022 was the second deadliest year in the history of the UN system in the DRC, with 13 peacekeepers killed. And the resurgence of the M23 further complicates the situation.
Sanctions, one option among many others
However, Bintou Keita, head of Monusco, does not want to give up: “ Those whose memory and sacrifice we honor today oblige us and invite us to pursue against all odds the mission entrusted to us in the service of peace and for the good of the population of the DRC. »
However, in the face of new threats and particularly the advance of the M23, the Security Council is aware that the solution will not be solely military, and even recourse to sanctions would only be one option among many others.
” The Security Council has a wide range of tools to bring peace and security. Sanctions are part of these levers, but it’s not just sanctions. There is also negotiation, and negotiation is the tool par excellence of diplomacy and of the United Nations. “, explains Michel Xavier Biang, Permanent Representative of Gabon to the UN.
Meanwhile, the violence continues. In February alone, nearly 300,000 people fled Rutshuru and Masisi territories, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
■ Demonstration of opposition parties against the aggression of Rwanda
In Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the political parties of Martin Fayulu, Moïse Katumbi and Augustin Matata Ponyo, three candidates for the next presidential election, drew tens of thousands of supporters yesterday into the streets to denounce the aggression of the country by Rwanda accused of supporting the M23 rebels in the province of North Kivu. The demonstration was authorized by the authorities and supervised by the police.
The crowds left an important crossroads in the east of Kinshasa for about ten kilometers on foot under a blazing sun, reports our correspondent in Kinshasa, Pascal Mulegwa.
In the middle of the crush, the leaders of the troops stick together. For Martin Fayulu, it is a march of patriotic resistance: ” We want to let the whole world know that we are under attack by Mr. Kagame and his M23. He put his army to attack the Congo because he wants to take a portion of the Congo at all costs. No one can take a single millimeter from this country. We must punish Mr. Kagame, punish all those who are with him. »
His wet white shirt was the first step for former Prime Minister Augustin Matata since his time in opposition. ” We are also calling on the government because good governance is needed, quality leadership is needed. There, there is a leadership deficit, there is a governance deficit. As you know, in 2013, when I was Prime Minister, the government kicked out the M23. »
Dressed in fatigues, Chérubin Okende, the spokesperson for Katumbi’s party, expresses his support for the army: The response is not up to the aggression. We must therefore stop complaining, whining to mobilize the Congolese people in order to drive out the enemies of our Republic. »
At the head of the procession, a group of young people carried a cross and a coffin covered with a Rwandan flag and an effigy of President Tshisekedi. A setting that irritated some supporters of the presidential camp. Violence followed. The police intervened with tear gas.