Statement by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at the UN Security Council briefing on MONUSCO
Mr. President,
We thank Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of MONUSCO Ms. Leila Zerrougui for a substantive briefing.
We have carefully studied the recent report by the Secretary-General on the work of peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
We agree that the situation with security in eastern provinces remains precarious. The developments in Kivu and Ituri raise particular concern, as interethnic violence and attacks on civilians continue in these provinces. ADF remains a source of serious threat: in recent months it has galvanized pushback action against FARDC. Against this backdrop, the toll among civilians has increased, which caused our gravest concern, and revitalized protest sentiment against peacekeepers in Beni and other cities. Raids by illegal armed formations and inter-communal conflicts do not stop even in Tanganyika, though normally this area is rather calm.
Internal political crisis further aggravates the situation in the country. It has already prompted the president to disrupt coalition with the supporters of former leader of the DRC J.Kabila. We count on mitigation of political tension in Kinshasa once there is solution to the problems existing in the constitutional domain.
Mr. President,
At the same time, we also see positive aspects. The DRC authorities were able to contain an Ebola outbreak. Despite the complicated humanitarian situation, effective measures are taken to stop the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. We support efforts of President Tshisekedi to engage with the neighboring states and jointly address the problems of eastern DRC. We believe regional organizations, in particular the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) play an important mediator role in the peace process. New regional strategy elaborated by the Office of the Special Representative will hopefully give an extra impetus at this track.
We commend the efforts of MONUSCO that flexibly responds to various security threats and thus contributes to stabilization in eastern provinces of the DRC. Besides, there are also non-military ways to address the problem of illegal armed formations, i.a. in the framework of a strategy for disarmament, demobilization and integration of former militants that is being developed at the moment and that should be based on engagement with local communes. We welcome measures to extend coordination of MONUSCO with FARDC and enhance efficiency of the Blue Helmets, i.a. the Force Intervention Brigade (FIB).
Mr. President,
This month the Security Council deals with a crucial task – to extend the peacekeepers’ mandate for another year. We are ready for constructive work on a corresponding UNSC resolution. We expect the authors to prepare a well-balanced document focused on concrete goals of MONUSCO’s activity. We proceed from the assumption that any decisions regarding MONUSCO’s configuration, including the FIB, must account for the situation on the ground and for the priorities of Kinshasa and TCCs. In this regard, we advocate for a flexible approach to this issue, stipulated in a joint strategy of step-by-step responsible withdrawal of peacekeepers from the DRC, and based on criteria and landmark indicators outlined in this document.
In conclusion, Mr. President, the Russian Federation (i.a. as part of Group of Friends of GLR) pledges its further support for the peace process in the DRC and stabilization in Great Lakes Region in general.
Thank you.
