Press conference of July 28, 2004
*Original in French
MONUC will not leave the Democratic Republic of the Congo on July 1st, 2004, when its current mandate expires. Consultations are under way within the Security Council in order to extend the existing mandate for two months, until October 1st, a spokesman for the mission said on Wednesday.
Speaking at the weekly news briefing, Hamadoun Touré said the period August 1st to October 1st, 2004 would be used to assess needs, resources and the mandate of MONUC in light of the situation in Congo ahead of elections due in 2005 and taking into account the report of the recent UN interdisciplinary mission in the DRC.
With respect to reform of the security sector, Mr. Touré announced that a workshop on Congolese police reform would be held on August 9-13 in Kinshasa. The organisation of such training was initiated by MONUC in consultation with Congolese authorities. There will be 90 participants, including police officials from the different components, MONUC experts, representatives of the international community and donors helping with the creation of a new police in the DRC.
On the situation in North and South Kivu provinces, the mission's military spokesman, Major About Thiam, cited persistent tension between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and troops supposed to belong to renegade officer Laurent Nkunda. He mentioned minor clashes, which in no way would represent a coordinated action for any objective. "On analysis, it appears to be incidents opposing sporadically individuals on both sides of the frontline," he said. Owing to this situation, over 30,000 people have been displaced in the area of Kahele have fled their homes, he said, quoting humanitarian sources. "Humanitarian organisations are busy trying to bring emergency assistance to the displaced, mostly those in the Mabula peninsula," he said.
"MONUC is conducting patrols in this part of the country. The mission is also talking with the parties in order to stop the situation from deteriorating further," Mr. Touré added.
In the troubled northeastern district of Ituri, the Disarmament and Community Reintegration (DCR) programme is due to launched on September 1st, the military spokesman announced. To that purpose, MONUC is deploying significant efforts to set up the necessary structures. In consultations with the main armed groups, five gathering sites have been identified: Mahagi for the Forces Armées du Peuple Congolais (FAPC) and the Forces Populaires pour la Démocratie au Congo (FPDC), Nizi for the armed groups of the Union des Patriotes Congolais (UPC), Kwandroma for the Forces des Nationalistes Intégrationnistes (FNI), Kasenyi for the Parti de l'Unité pour la Sauvergarde de l'Intégrité du Congo (PUSIC), and Aveba for the Forces de Résistance Patriotique en Ituri (FRPI). At the transit camps, combatants will have fifteen days to surrender their weapons, Mr. Touré stressed. Those willing to return to civilian life will be provided with prior training on agriculture, carpentry, bricklaying or building works. Others, who satisfy the required conditions, will be reintegrated in the new unified national army, Hamadoun Touré said.
The spokesman also mentioned the destruction by MONUC of unexploded ordinance in Kalemie (Katanga province). He was referring to thirteen 60-mm mortar shells, one 81-mm shell and three 120-mm shells, which were found in residential areas thanks to the collaborations the local population.
In conclusion, Mr. Touré thanked members of the press for their support following the sudden death of Radio Okapi journalist Jérôme Ngongo, who died from a heart attack on July 23, 2004. "The press was in the front row. I think you for all that you have done," he said. .
 Printable version |