The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, spoke about the issue of insecurity in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where the populations demonstrated last July, demanding the departure of the Helmets of the UN mission (Monusco) who would be unable to protect them against armed groups.
He gave an interview to RFI and France 24 on September 17 in New York, on the eve of the UN General Assembly. On the subject of the departure of the peacekeepers demanded by the populations, Guterres recalled “a program of progressive reduction of the force which is agreed with the Congolese government”.
Regarding the M23 rebellion which is, according to the UN chief, “the reason for these latest demonstrations”, the expectation of the populations to see the UN forces defeat the movements would be difficult to satisfy.
“The truth is that the M23 today is a modern army, with heavy equipment that is more advanced than Monusco equipment,” Guterres suggested.
“To think that a peacekeeping force can solve problems when there are now extremely well-armed military forces, it is impossible. And people naturally do not understand it. And for us, that’s a huge concern,” he said.
The UN boss has refrained from admitting that this M23 equipment comes from Rwanda as claimed by the Kinshasa authorities. However, he suggested a “serious discussion between Congo, Rwanda and Uganda so that we can have a joint perspective to avoid this permanent situation which always makes us, when we have progress, go back”.
For him, these countries must understand each other and cooperate effectively for the security of eastern Congo, and also for security guarantees, recalling that the ADF (Allied Democratic Forces) and the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda) , active in the eastern part of the DRC, are movements originating from Uganda and Rwanda respectively.
“Peacekeeping operations were made to keep the peace. But now they operate in situations where peace does not exist. And that is essential thinking,” Guterres said, stressing the need for “deep thinking about the future of peacekeeping in situations like these.”
From the outset, he said he was “fully in favor of there being peace enforcement and counter-terrorism forces, African peace enforcement and counter-terrorism forces, conducted under the aegis of the African Union and financed by assessed contributions from the United Nations system”.
Unsurprisingly, Antonio Guterres’ remarks about the inability of Monusco peacekeepers to beat M23 fighters provoked strong reactions in Kinshasa within the political class and civil society.
By OMA Newsletter N° 864 of 20/09/2022
Article published under the direction of Dr. Najib Kettani
The OMA, NGO with an Intercontinental vocation
For the development of cultural exchanges
Valuing human potential
The promotion and consolidation of Africa’s development, and
Inter-African integration
