MONUC to leave the DRC, mission unaccomplished?
With celebrations of the 50th anniversary of independence coming up in June this year, as well as important elections next year, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government is keen for the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission, known as MONUC, to start withdrawing within the next few months. They want MONUC out of the mission area by September 2011.
Henri Boshoff, Head
Peace Missions Programme, ISS Pretoria
With celebrations of the 50th anniversary of independence coming
up in June this year, as well as important elections next year, the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC) government is keen for the United Nations (UN)
peacekeeping mission, known as MONUC, to start withdrawing within the next few
months. They want MONUC out of the mission area by September 2011.
This announcement of the DRC’s desire for a MONUC withdrawal came
as a surprise to both Congolese as well as the international community.
Congolese rebels and foreign armed groups are still fighting the Congolese
army, Forces Armées de la République
Démocratique du Congo (FARDC) across much of
the east, and parts of the north of the DRC and gunmen from all sides are still
committing gross human rights abuses, especially rape.
The international community believes that the situation is still
extremely fragile and it is not the time to leave. The withdrawal must rather
be based on achieving certain exit objectives rather than based on political
rhetoric. The Congolese government is of the opinion that their military and
police will be able to deal with the security situation when MONUC leaves. However,
MONUC should continue to play a vital role in creating security while the
Congolese government builds up its own capacity to protect civilians.
A
UN technical team recently prepared
a draft drawdown plan in close consultation with MONUC. The proposed plan
envisaged that the withdrawal of the MONUC force could be completed over a
period of three years, if the security situation continued to improve and on
the basis of steady progress towards the accomplishment of the critical tasks.
The first critical task should be to neutralise the threat posed
by the Forces démocratiques pour la libération du Rwanda (FDLR) and the Lord Resistance Army (LRA).
The completion of the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of all
pending caseloads of Congolese combatants throughout the country, including
those belonging to FARDC and foreign armed groups, as well as the provision of
support to the national reintegration process for former combatants and
residual Congolese armed groups is equally critical. This process includes
non-military and military measures carried out in compliance with international
humanitarian and human rights law, as well as refugee laws.
The second critical task should be to build a professional FARDC
core force, which the mission considered could be up to 20 battalions. This
core force should be complemented by a similar core police capacity, which can
progressively assume law and order enforcement responsibilities in full respect
of international human rights law.
The third critical task is the establishment of effective state
authority in the areas freed from armed groups, in particular along the
strategic axes in the eastern provinces which are identified in the
Stabilisation and Reconstruction Plan, in order to facilitate the sustainable
return and reintegration of refugees and internally displaced persons. In this
regard, the capacity of the public administration, policing, judicial and
correctional systems in the DRC needs to be developed to a sustainable level to
allow the independent monitoring of human rights, contribute to ending impunity
and allow the establishment of an effective prison system fully respecting
international standards.
MONUC has briefed the UN Security Council on a possible exit
strategy that has to be discussed with the Congolese Government to get approval
on a way forward. The plan is based on an assumption that the situation
improves over the next three years and the critical areas ensuring stability
are met. According to the plan, it is recommended that MONUC would have no
direct military role outside of the three conflict-affected provinces in the
east, and Kinshasa. Consequently, in the first phase of the drawdown, which
could start immediately, MONUC could withdraw its troops from FARDC Defence
Zone 1 (which covers Bas-Congo, Kinshasa (Province), Equateur and Bandundu).
MONUC would however maintain a small military presence of up to a battalion in
Kinshasa for the protection of UN personnel and facilities.
The Mission’s reserve force, based in the east, would retain the
capacity to respond, in extremis, to protect UN personnel and assets and, if
requested by the Government, to support FARDC and the National Police in
provinces beyond the Kivus and Orientale.
Phase two of the MONUC drawdown could start in the second half
of 2010 and involve the complete withdrawal of MONUC forces from Kasaï
Oriental, Kasaï Occidental and Katanga, completing the withdrawal from FARDC
Defence Zones 1 and 2. Phase three would involve a steady reduction of troops
in FARDC Defence Zone 3, namely Maniema, Orientale, North and South Kivu
Provinces, as the ongoing military operations are successfully concluded,
effective state authority is established in areas freed from the armed groups
and the build-up of an FARDC core force progressed.
Phase four could bring MONUC force levels down to some 5,000
troops when a core FARDC force became operational. The full withdrawal of the
MONUC military forces could be completed once the Government and the UN agreed
that the conditions for complete withdrawal without risking renewed instability
were in place.
The planned fourth phase is possibly going to be debated as to
timelines because the Congolese government wants MONUC to complete its
withdrawal by September 2011.
However, it will be in the interest of the DRC and the region if MONUC
stays until the exit criteria are met.
