STATEMENT BY MARTHA AMA AKYAA POBEE, SPECIAL REREPRESENTATIVE OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFING
New York
26 JUNE 2023
(spoke in French): Allow me to begin by thanking the members of the Security Council for the opportunity to present the report of the Secretary-General on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I also welcome the Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Permanent Representative of Rwanda.
(spoke in English) Over the past three months, the security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has continued to deteriorate in Ituri and North Kivu, despite a lull in armed clashes between the Mouvement du 23 mars (M23) and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC). Thus far, the ceasefire between the M-23 and the FARDC has relatively held and contributed to some security gains. The relative calm in Rutshuru territory, for example, has enabled more than 45,000 people from the Bishusha group to return to their homes.
However, the withdrawal of the M-23 from the occupied areas has been piecemeal, tactical and political. The M-23 still controls a large part of the Masisi and Rutshuru territories, as well as the movement of people and goods in those areas. Moreover, its offensive repositioning in recent weeks has raised fears that hostilities could flare up again at any moment. The M-23 continues to create insecurity, reportedly killing at least 47 civilians in North Kivu over the recent period.
In that context, we welcome the continued efforts of regional leaders to prevail on the concerned parties to implement the decisions of the Luanda road map and the Nairobi process. We reiterate the readiness of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) to assist the Congolese authorities with the pre-cantonment and disarmament of the M-23. To that end, I am pleased to note that, last week, MONUSCO and Congolese authorities undertook a reconnaissance mission at the Rumangabo base to assess the conditions for the pre-cantonment of the M-23. For those efforts to bear fruit, it is urgent that the M-23 withdraw completely from the occupied territories, lay down their arms unconditionally and join the Demobilization, Disarmament, Community Recovery and Stabilization Programme.
The relative security gains in North Kivu are unfortunately fragile and overshadowed by the deteriorating situation in Ituri. That province has suffered from the security vacuum created by the redeployment of the FARDC to North Kivu. More than 600 people were killed by armed groups during the reporting period. The Coopérative pour le développement du Congo (CODECO), the Zaire militia and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) are the main perpetrators of those atrocities. A particularly heinous example was the CODECO militia attack on the Lala internally displaced persons site on the night of 11 to 12 May. More than 40 displaced people were killed and 800 shelters were burned. I reiterate our condemnation of that atrocious attack on civilians who had already endured significant hardship.
Despite the joint operations of the FARDC and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) has extended its area of influence to an unprecedented level and remains a serious threat to the security and stability of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At the same time, the persistent activities of armed groups in South Kivu for the control of mining sites, in particular Mayi-Mayi militias, reminds us that it is imperative to resolve the root causes of the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo for peace to be restored.
We urge all armed groups to cease hostilities and call for a redeployment of national security forces, particularly in Ituri, to restore State authority in that area. The population, especially the most vulnerable, cannot remain without the protection of the Congolese State. The consequences of that absence are deeply worrisome.
In response to the persistent insecurity in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, MONUSCO continues to do its utmost to deliver on its mandate to protect civilians. In Beni, Bunia, Bukavu and Goma, workshops supported by the Mission have served to ease tensions and build local capacities to better respond to security challenges, including disinformation.
In parallel, the Mission has provided direct physical protection to the civilian population, notably through protection by projection. To date, between 50,000 and 70,000 displaced people are under the direct physical protection of MONUSCO in Roe site, located in Djugu territory in the province of Ituri. The Mission has repelled CODECO attacks against civilians on numerous occasions. The joint operations between the FARDC and MONUSCO’s Force Intervention Brigade have also actively contributed to the fight against the ADF. These joint operations have concretely resulted in the protection of a hospital in Oicha and the dismantling of several ADF training camps.
Beyond the protection of civilian efforts, humanitarian interventions are still highly needed. Insecurity in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic has continued to fuel a long-standing humanitarian crisis that is often overlooked by the international community. Approximately 6.3 million people have been displaced in the country, and, since March 2022, more than 2.8 million people have newly fled their homes in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, due to insecurity. Currently, 28 per cent of the population in North Kivu and 39 per cent in Ituri are displaced.
That situation has been further aggravated by inflation, epidemics and natural disasters, including the floods experienced last month in Kahele territory of South Kivu, which killed over 470 people, with thousands missing and thousands more otherwise affected. At the same time, almost 26 million people, more than a quarter of the population, are facing food insecurity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
We are particularly concerned about the growing number of women and girls who have been subjected to gender-based violence and sexual exploitation. Genderbased violence has increased by 23 per cent nationwide, and by 73 per cent in North Kivu province alone, compared to the same period last year. These violations are linked to the proliferation of armed groups in areas where displaced people are hosted and to frequent breaches of the civilian and humanitarian character of these displacement sites. Furthermore, the surge in sexual violence against children has also increased and is particularly horrifying.
A significant scale-up of services to prevent and respond to sexual violence in and around displacement sites, as well as to ensure better access to food, water and safe sanitation facilities, is urgently required. We therefore call on the Congolese authorities to take stronger action, including the provision of additional sites, to assist and protect displaced people, and for better security in the sites and in the fight against impunity.
The humanitarian response falls far short of the unprecedented level of needs. We applaud the activation of a system-wide scale-up of the response in eastern part of the Democratic Republic for an initial period of three months. We encourage the Congolese State, which has the prime responsibility and duty to protect its citizens, to facilitate and support this enhanced response. We appeal once again to the donor community to contribute to the 2023 humanitarian response plan, which as of 18 June was funded at 28 per cent.
In addition to the security and humanitarian challenges in eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, pockets of instability have resurfaced in the western and southern parts of the country. Violence has persisted in the provinces of Mai-Ndombe, Kwilu and Kwango, and it has spread to Maluku in the Kinshasa province. This violence has resulted in the death of at least 67 people in the last three months. Tensions and violence have also been reported in Kindu, Tshopo and Katanga. We urge the authorities to hold the perpetrators of violence to account and take measures to strengthen social cohesion to preserve the gains made towards stability in these areas.
The human rights situation also remains worrisome. We are particularly alarmed at the restriction of civic space and the increase in hate speech. We are also concerned by reports of a rise in violence against women political leaders and activists. I urge the authorities, civil society and political actors to work to promote a peaceful, tolerant and inclusive civic space, particularly in the run-up to the December 2023 elections. In that regard, I welcome the measures announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission to reopen voter registration in Kwamouth. I hope that appropriate measures will also be taken to ensure registration for all Congolese in the eastern provinces.
In accordance with its mandate, MONUSCO has been providing logistical support to the Electoral Commission and training for police officers who will be responsible for security during the elections. The United Nations more broadly is also providing technical assistance for the electoral process through the United Nations Development Programme election-support programme. We encourage Member States to support this programme, which is still largely underfunded at the moment. Efforts to prevent electoral violence must also be reinforced, and the support of the Peacebuilding Fund is important in that regard.
Those efforts can bear fruit only if all stakeholders are genuinely committed to the electoral process. In that regard, the independent audit of the electoral register was an opportunity to strengthen the transparency and credibility of the electoral process. The quality of the electoral process depends on the trust of the stakeholders, and this must be cultivated through greater transparency and inclusive consultation. A successful electoral process that renews the legitimacy of the country’s institutions is also critical, ultimately, to improving the security situation.
With regard to the transition, the visit of the UnderSecretary-General for Peace Operations, Mr. JeanPierre Lacroix, to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in early June, came at an opportune time to support the consultations. We noted the will of the Congolese authorities to accelerate the transition, and we encouraged the finalization of the revised transition plan, now structured around four priority benchmarks.
The visit also provided an opportunity to highlight the key role of MONUSCO in the protection of civilians and to recall our guiding principles for the transition. In a rapidly evolving national and regional environment, we must stay on course for an orderly, gradual and responsible transition. The departure of MONUSCO is planned, and initial steps are being taken in several areas. However, MONUSCO’s withdrawal should not jeopardize the protection of civilians. We must avoid creating security vacuums. The Mission cannot responsibly depart from areas where MONUSCO is the only protection presence.
I recall that the transition of MONUSCO is, in simple terms, the continuation of the Mission’s mandated tasks by Congolese authorities. It is up to the Congolese Government to create the conditions for that continuation to be viable for the long term. The Mission, jointly with the United Nations country team, is, for its part, fully committed to assisting the Congolese authorities in this endeavour. In that regard, MONUSCO and the United Nations country team have engaged proactively with the Government to jointly re-evaluate the joint transition plan, as mandated by the Council.
That commitment is apparent through our unwavering support for the regional peace processes. We salute the commitment of the leaders and facilitators of the processes through their good offices, the regular holding of high-level summits and the decision of Angola to deploy troops to secure M-23 cantonment sites and protect members of the ad hoc verification mechanism. The decision of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to deploy troops also signals the increasing commitment of regional actors to respond to the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s need for peace. In that context, we reiterate the need to ensure that all these regional initiatives are mutually reinforcing and coordinated with MONUSCO.
The quadripartite summit, which will take place tomorrow in Luanda, Angola, under the facilitation of the African Union and with the participation of Heads of State and representatives of SADC, the East African Community, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region and the Economic Community of Central African States, would provide an opportunity, among other things, to define practical modalities of such coordination. MONUSCO stands ready to continue working in concert with relevant stakeholders in support of those regional initiatives, within the limits of its mandate.
Our commitment to preparing for the transition is also visible in our efforts to support disarmament, demobilization and reintegration and security sector reform. An orderly and responsible transition depends on the ability of the national security forces to deploy and intervene effectively wherever the security situation requires.
As MONUSCO transitions, we are also drawing lessons from the Mission’s withdrawal from the Kasais and Tanganyika with regard to support for the deployment of Congolese authorities and resource mobilization. The United Nations country team and the Mission are currently working to mobilize the necessary funding to implement the transition plan for Tanganyika, which amounts to $26 million over a two year period, and I appeal to the donor community for their support.
The Mission has also initiated the formulation of transition plans for North and South Kivu and Ituri. This is a geographical approach designed to align the transition as closely as possible with the realities of each area. I would like to stress, however, that the primary responsibility for ensuring protection, development and social cohesion remains with the Congolese authorities. Major Government projects are under way, such as the military programming law and the development programme for the 145 territories. Those projects must quickly produce results that live up to expectations.
The gradual and geographical withdrawal of MONUSCO must continue, in close collaboration with the Congolese authorities, so as never to create a security vacuum, including by investing in police capacity through a successful reform of the security sector.
(spoke in French)
In conclusion, I would like to reiterate my thanks to all the troop- and police-contributing countries and their personnel and to the Mission’s national and international civilian personnel. I salute their ongoing efforts to support the national and provincial authorities and the defence and security forces in implementing our mandate.