STATEMENT BY BINTOU KEITA, SPECIAL REREPRESENTATIVE OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFING on MONUSCO
New York
30 SEPTEMBER 2024
(spoke in French): It is once again my honour to present the report (S/2024/689) of the Secretary-General on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I also welcome the presence of His Excellency Mr. Zenon Mukongo, Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in New York, and His Excellency Mr. Ernest Rwamucyo, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Rwanda. I furthermore welcome the presence of the representative of Angola at this meeting.
The context to the briefing should be welcomed. Since 30 July and the announcement of a ceasefire between the parties, made by the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda at a meeting facilitated by Angola, there has been a sharp decrease in fighting between the warring parties. Peace has yet to be secured, but there is now an active framework for dialogue between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, committed and proactive mediation in which no effort is being spared to resolve the conflict and an operational instrument to support that mediation, and therefore a genuine prospect for peace can be contemplated. I would like to take this opportunity to salute the unflagging determination of President João Lourenço of the Republic of Angola and his teams to bring this process to a successful conclusion, and I renew the full support of the United Nations, including that of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).
(spoke in English) Since my previous briefing (see S/PV.9681), incremental progress has been made in political and institutional processes.
First, at a national level, new institutions born of the December 2023 elections have been established: both the National Assembly and the Senate have elected their respective Bureaus and the Parliament is starting its autumn session. The Prime Minister, Ms. Judith Suminwa Tuluka, submitted the 2025 finance bill, estimated at $18 billion — a 12 per cent increase in revenue over the previous year. The Government is set and willing to deliver on its ambitious programme. The United Nations stands ready to support it.
Secondly, at the regional level, discussions in the context of the Luanda process have continued, while the Southern African Development Community Mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (SAMIDRC) has already conducted several operations and is providing operational training to the Forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo (FARDC). I welcome the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) announcement about the establishment of an office of the Special Representative of SADC and the Head of Mission of SAMIDRC. I thank which authorizes MONUSCO to support SAMIDRC. Coordination mechanisms to operationalize that support are already in place. In addition, the Angolan authorities have requested that MONUSCO provide logistical support, security and information to the reinforced ad hoc verification mechanism born of the ceasefire agreement. We are committed to doing so to the extent that our resources and our mandate allow.
Thirdly, donors have already contributed over $1 billion in humanitarian assistance. By the end of the year, contributions to the humanitarian response will be greater than ever before. That saves millions of lives. However, needs are increasing faster. Even the record levels of funding anticipated this year will fall short of the almost $2.6 billion needed to assist the 8.7 million most vulnerable people in 2024.Despite some progress, daunting challenges remain. Over the past few months, competition over the exploitation of, and trade in, natural resources has further entrenched and exacerbated conflict dynamics in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. In Ituri, the recent intensification of violence is being driven primarily by armed groups’ attempts to control mining areas. As profits have surged with the expansion of semi-mechanized gold mining, armed groups have become militarized entrepreneurs. As a consequence, community leaders and depleted Government forces are struggling to contain armed groups, which have become stronger both militarily and financially.
In North Kivu, the consolidation of administrative control by the Mouvement du 23 Mars (M23) over Masisi and Rutshuru territories in North Kivu has allowed it to establish full control over coltan production. Trade from the Rubaya area, which is estimated to supply more than 15 per cent of global tantalum production, generates an estimated $300,000 per month for the armed group. That is deeply concerning and needs to be stopped. The criminal laundering of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s natural resources, which are being smuggled out of the country, is strengthening armed groups, sustaining the exploitation of the civilian population — some of whom have been de facto enslaved — and undermining peacemaking efforts. Unless international sanctions are imposed on those benefiting from that criminal trade, peace will remain elusive and civilians will continue to suffer.
Concurrently, efforts to improve the governance of the exploitation of natural resources by increasing the transparency and traceability of mineral production are paramount to making progress in stabilizing the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. I encourage the Government to invest in the local transformation of mineral and other raw materials through the creation of value chains and to prosecute those involved in illicit financial flows.
In North Kivu and Ituri, eliminating the threat posed by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) has proven elusive. In the past three months, the ADF has intensified its attacks against civilians, exploiting the vacuum created by the redeployment of the Congolese armed forces to fight the M23. Last June was probably the deadliest month ever recorded in relation to the ADF, with 272 civilians killed. Its neutralization remains a priority for the Mission.
Since the beginning of the year, a further 2.4 million people have been displaced. Many of them are sheltering in overcrowded sites where they are particularly vulnerable to diseases, including cholera, measles and the new outbreak of mpox. With the majority of cases of mpox being in Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is at the epicentre of the epidemic that is already affecting 15 countries on the continent.
On the political front, tensions are also growing in the media and on the streets. Opposition parties are voicing their concern about restrictions on political freedoms, arbitrary arrests and the shrinking democratic space. All steps to safeguard a peaceful and consultative political environment are crucial to create an enabling environment for the pursuit of key reforms and to bolster trust and national cohesion as an antidote to those calling for armed rebellion. I welcome the public stance and concrete steps taken by the Congolese authorities to tackle all forms of hate speech and incitement to discrimination and violence. I urge continued vigilance in that regard.
There is another part of the Congolese society we cannot ignore — detainees. On 2 September, thousands of inmates tried to break free from an overcrowded Kinshasa central prison. More than 150 detainees died in the attempted mass escape. Some prisoners entered the women’s wing and sexually assaulted more than 268 women who were incarcerated. Since then, President Tshisekedi Tshilombo ordered a fast-track reduction of the prison population and an investigation into that incident. Some 2,000 detainees have now been freed.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo remains disproportionately affected by another plague — sexual and gender-based violence. In the first half of the year, more than 61,000 victims were treated by humanitarian partners, a 10 per cent increase from the first half of 2023. That represents one victim every four minutes, three by the end of my briefing and more than 20 by the end of this meeting. That scourge, which primarily affects women and girl victims of the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, will result in long-lasting trauma within its social fabric.
(spoke in French)
The risks and opportunities that I have just referred to require national, regional and international mobilization to support the Congolese people.
First and foremost, we must support peace efforts wherever conflict exists. The mediation undertaken by Angola remains the best opportunity to reduce tensions between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but peace cannot be built in Luanda alone. It also requires investment in the provinces, territories, chiefdoms and villages. In South Kivu, following the departure of MONUSCO, the United Nations is supporting the establishment of mechanisms for the protection of unarmed civilians. Sustainable tools for conflict prevention, management and resolution will also be necessary. In that regard, MONUSCO is fully committed to working with the Congolese authorities to support the establishment of a standing mechanism for dialogue in Ituri. MONUSCO is also working with national and international non-governmental organizations and religious institutions to consolidate the gains achieved after many years of investment in women’s and youth communities and local institutions.
Militarily too, MONUSCO is continuing to protect civilians. In Ituri, the Blue Helmets are more agile and robust in their interventions. Thanks to the establishment of a joint coordination and operations centre with the FARDC in Bunia, the response time to alerts has fallen to less than 15 minutes in most cases. Ten days ago, the FARDC and MONUSCO deployed to Bule to put an end to an ongoing attack by the Coopérative pour le développement du Congo armed group, prompting the president of the civil society of the Bahema-Badjere chiefdom to declare that, had it not been for MONUSCO’s intervention, there would have been more than 100 deaths. In North Kivu, MONUSCO continues to help maintain a defence zone around Goma and Sake. It is providing guarantees of protection for civilians by maintaining its bases at Kitchanga, Kiwanja and Kanyabayonga in areas under M23 control.
Finally, it is essential to reduce the threat posed by armed groups by revitalizing the Disarmament, Demobilization, Community Recovery and Stabilization Programme and by operationalizing its national strategy and provincial operational plans. The United Nations agencies and MONUSCO are also committed to supporting the Government on that matter.
On 30 June, we ended our activities in South Kivu. At the request of the authorities, we are now engaged in an evaluation process to ensure that we consolidate our departure and to properly plan for the way forward following our withdrawal. The integrated transition team estimates that $57 million will be required if the Government is to have the means to take up the baton in South Kivu. As a sign of its commitment, the Government has already committed $30 million. The provincial authorities in South Kivu are also fully committed to consolidating the transition.
MONUSCO and the Government are working to define the modalities for implementing the next stages of the Mission’s disengagement. That work, which will be ramped up in the coming weeks, will be aimed at ensuring that the main lessons learned from the disengagement from South Kivu and the specific challenges in the areas where MONUSCO is still present are taken into account.
(spoke in English)The Democratic Republic of the Congo has taken a path. We need to collectively remain engaged in assisting the country on its path to peace and stability. There is no alternative to a negotiated end to the conflict in North Kivu or to the successful implementation of the Disarmament, Demobilization, Community Recovery and Stabilization Programme and security sector reform. The United Nations and MONUSCO remain steadfast in their support to the Government’s peacebuilding efforts. MONUSCO is leaving. The United Nations is staying. But until our very last day we will continue to protect civilians, support meaningful peace initiatives, facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance and assist the Congolese State in its stabilization efforts.