S/PV.7150 Security Council

In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2014/222, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by Australia, France, Luxembourg and the United States of America. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2014/153, which contains the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region. I also wish to draw the Council’s attention to document S/2014/157, which contains the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is my understanding that the Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

There were 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2147 (2014). I shall now give the floor to the member of the Council who wishes to make a statement following the voting.

I take the floor to explain Rwanda’s vote on resolution 2147 (2014), which renews the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), including the Force Intervention Brigade, for an additional year. First of all, I would like to thank Ambassador Gérard Araud of France, penholder on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for the usual good conduct of the negotiations that enabled the Security Council to adopt the resolution unanimously. I equally appreciate the role played by Ambassador Samantha Power of the United States in ensuring consensus on that important text. I also thank all Council members for the contributions and flexibility throughout the negotiating process. Rwanda hopes that this mandate renewal, in particular of the Force Intervention Brigade, revives MONUSCO’s mission to neutralize armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, especially the so-called Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR), which continue to pose a sustained threat against populations in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and against my country, Rwanda. Like resolution 2136 (2014), of 30 January 2014, the resolution just adopted recalls, in its twelfth preambuar paragraph, that the FDLR is “a group under United Nations sanctions whose leaders and members include perpetrators of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, during which Hutu and others who opposed the genocide were also killed, and have continued to promote and commit ethnically based and other killings in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo”. Indeed, for the past 20 years, the FDLR has continued to destabilize the region and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Reports from non-governmental organizations and the United Nations have implicated the group in widespread rape, killing and other atrocities in the eastern part of the country. It continues to use children as soldiers and slaves. And it has held hostage refugees who are willing to return to Rwanda. Also, just recently, innocent civilians in my country were killed as a result of renewed attacks by the FDLR in public markets and bus stations, mostly in the city of Kigali. In resolution 2147 (2014), the Security Council expresses its concern that the FDLR has continued to have freedom of movement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It also reaffirms its commitment to eliminate the great threat posed by that genocidal movement through sustained actions by the Forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo (FARDC), MONUSCO and the Force Intervention Brigade. That is also in line with the recent meeting of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region held in Luanda on 25 March, which called for coordinated efforts to urgently engage military action against the FDLR and to continue to repatriate those willing to disarm. That mandate is one aspect of a comprehensive plan to permanently address issues of insecurity, especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and for MONUSCO and the Intervention Brigade to support the FARDC to put such plans into sustained action. We urge the Council to ensure accountability for its implementation. Finally, through its national, bilateral and regional commitments, Rwanda reiterates its unwavering support to peace, stability and prosperity in our region.

I now give the floor to the representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

As Luxembourg’s presidency of the Security Council comes to an end, allow me, first of all, to congratulate you, Madam President, on your conduct of the business of this principal organ of the United Nations responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security. I once again reiterate how pleased we are to see you presiding over the Council during the month of March. I would also like once again to reiterate to the Council the gratitude of the people and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo for the efforts made by the United Nations to preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country and to ensure peace and stability. Lastly, I would like to pay tribute to His Excellency Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his steadfast attention and personal involvement in working to strengthen peace in my country. The Security Council has just adopted resolution 2147 (2014), which renews the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and the Force Intervention Brigade. We are all aware today of the effective and commendable role played by the Brigade alongside the Forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo (FARDC) to assert the sovereignty and territorial integrity of my country and to restore State authority throughout the national territory. That is why the second mandate of the Force Intervention Brigade should marshal the efforts already made to consolidate and preserve lasting peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and throughout the entire Great Lakes region. I wish sincerely to thank the Council for that renewal, which is so crucial to securing my country. I would also like to assure the Council that, on its part, the Congolese Government, in line with its commitments, is currently preparing the rapid-reaction force that will take over from the Force Intervention Brigade when the time comes. The standing up of that force is at a very advanced stage, although not yet complete. The brigades that will make up the force have already been constituted and are currently being trained in the various specialties. Adequate equipment to enable the forces to carry out their mission is being acquired. Parallel to that effort, significant progress has clearly been made ​in the fight against negative forces, the protection of civilian populations and the capacity of the Government to provide security for its population. With specific regard to the fight against negative forces, we have prioritized the protection of the Congolese people and the preservation of our country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. The Mouvement du 23 mars (M-23) has been defeated. The fight against the Ugandan rebellion by the Allied Democratic Forces/National Army for the Liberation of Uganda is coming to an end, followed by mopping up operations. Operations against the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR) are about to begin. With regard to the threat posed by the rebellion by the Lord’s Resistance Army, we welcome the efforts being undertaken, specifically by the American Government, to protect civilians from abuses by Joseph Kony and his associates. This meeting provides us with an opportunity to reassure the Security Council of the determination of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to eradicate all negative forces without exception. That is a crucial element for the return of lasting peace, not only for our country but also for the region. We reiterate that decisive operations against the FDLR will not be delayed. Today’s resolution meets the expectations of the Congolese people, who wish to find the peace denied them for nearly two decades. It strengthens all the commendable initiatives aimed at the return of normalcy to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as throughout the region. In that connection, the mini- summit of the leaders of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) held in Luanda on 25 March, at the invitation of the Chairman-in-Office, His Excellency Mr. Jose Eduardo dos Santos, addressed those very goals. The meeting discussed the current situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region and reiterated the need to neutralize negative forces by all means possible. The Luanda meeting also launched an urgent appeal to the various rebel groups, calling on them to take advantage of the political opening and opportunity for dialogue and to participate in the broader process of peace and social and political integration that is under way. For its part, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has spared no effort to fulfil its responsibilities. With regard to the commitments flowing from the Addis Ababa Framework Agreement, on 11 February President Joseph Kabila Kabange promulgated the amnesty law covering insurrection, acts of war and political offences committed on the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 18 February 2006 and 20 December 2013. The amnesty allows former rebels who are not responsible for crimes against humanity or war crimes to find a place in the national community, if they want one and undertake not to take up arms against their country. Efforts are under way to bring home as many eligible former rebels as possible. Furthermore, a disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programme has been developed that fulfils the need for disarmament and civic and vocational education and seeks to achieve a successful reintegration process that is accepted by the communities that were once victimized. The identification of combatants from armed groups in North Kivu who have been assembled in Bweremana and Kanyaruchinya is completed. Those who are eligible for the third national DDR programme have begun to be evacuated to triage centres for DDR operations. At the same time, the evacuation of ex-Bakata Katanga combatants who qualify to the Kitona triage centre continues. A framework for dialogue with international partners has been established to harmonize views and thereby implement that programme in an orderly fashion. In the same vein, under the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is holding consultations with host countries on the gradual return of Congolese people who have sought refuge in neighbouring countries. We should also note the increasing number of internally displaced persons gradually returning to their home areas, which have become safe since the recovery of areas formerly occupied by hostile forces. In the electoral sphere, the Democratic Republic of the Congo established a new Independent National Electoral Commission, which includes representatives from the majority, the opposition and civil society. Organizing and holding elections under the best possible conditions is a priority for the Government. We must now accelerate preparations for the elections, which are to be held according to the schedule laid out by the Commission, and we must manage that process in a peaceful environment. As to the role expected of the United Nations, I would like to reiterate the Government’s request to receive appropriate logistical and technical support when needed. In terms of our national reconciliation efforts, in October 2013 in Kinshasa, the Congolese Government brought together all of the nation’s movers and shakers  — the political class, the majority and the opposition and civil society  — for national consultations. Participants stated their commitment to the country’s unity and their respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity. More than 600 resolutions and recommendations resulted from those meetings, and will be without a doubt the basis for the Government’s programme for national cohesion, which the Head of State intends to introduce shortly. In order to strengthen its young democracy, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is pursuing without hesitation the process of decentralization that was started in 2006. With the end of the war and the restoration of State authority throughout the country, our country now intends to accelerate reforms. Significant progress in this area will be made despite the obvious difficulties inherent in such an undertaking. The problems related to sexual violence, which are quite rightly cause for national and international concern, are always on the Government’s emergency agenda. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has adopted a zero-tolerance policy in that respect, as shown by the uncompromising Minova trial and the indictment of several rebel leaders. Again, we would note that the pacification of the liberated areas has led to a significant reversal in the incidence of such abuses. In order to fulfil its sovereign prerogatives, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has undertaken a thorough reform of its security sector. Some concrete actions that have already been undertaken to make the defence of our country more effective and improve State authority include the reform of the structures and personnel of the army, security services and police; the defence forces’ recruitment of Congolese youth from every province of the country; the reopening of military academies; and the training, with assistance from bilateral partners, of special forces and support units, with the primary aim, we would recall, of standing up the rapid reaction force. With respect to training the national army, bilateral efforts have been given priority. We are in the process of implementing the relevant agreements, which have already been negotiated and concluded with certain countries. We thank all our bilateral and multilateral partners for this crucial support to security sector reform, which is in fact aimed at consolidating peace and security and will undoubtedly lead to the establishment of an army and a national police force that we hope will be professional, disciplined and competent. The Democratic Republic of the Congo must, however, express some concerns. The first pertains compliance with the regional commitments undertaken in the implementation of the Framework Agreement signed in Addis Ababa. While our country strives to fulfil, one after the other, the responsibilities that have been assigned to it, some countries do not seem to care about fulfilling their own. I would like to draw the Council’s kind attention to the fact that we feel that the international community is not paying due attention to this issue. Among other things, I refer to the question of the significant weapons stocks found by our armed forces and MONUSCO after the defeat of M-23 and the liberation of the mountainous area of Tshanzu, which remains to this day unanswered. This question is worrying, as the quantity and type of military weapons found on-site indicate that the M-23’s sponsors had prepared for a widespread and long-term war against our country. The United Nations, in its role as peacekeeper, must consider the true purpose of such a powerful arsenal and publicly denounce all the leaders of that criminal organization, which could have caused the death of several other million citizens. To maintain the fragile balance in the region, it would be wise for everyone to actually fulfil their commitments. Our second concern relates to the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism. The Mechanism, which initially only included the delegates of chiefs of staff of the Congolese and Rwandan armies, was extended to include all the countries of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region and, recently, South Africa, not to mention the representatives of MONUSCO and the African Union. The Mechanism, which remains essential, is sorely lacking the resources necessary to carry out its noble task. We would request the Security Council to include this issue among its priorities. A third concern has to do with the illegal exploitation of natural resources. In the spirit of the Framework Agreement signed in Addis Ababa, this issue, like that of the hostile forces, was selected as being, fundamentally, one of the root causes of the cycle of violence in the region. While significant progress has been observed in fight against the hostile forces, the same is not true with this issue. We call for more diligence on the part of the Security Council in supporting the region’s efforts to certify the origin of exported products. Even today, the official statistics of some countries in the region indicate the export of products in quantities incommensurate with their well- known mining resources. In view of the reconfiguration of MONUSCO’s mandate and the transfer of its responsibilities, the Government has taken note of the road map developed for the reallocation of MONUSCO’s tasks to the United Nations country team. It stands ready to discuss practical arrangements for the implementation of the road map, and would like to express its full confidence in the joint assessment team, which it calls on to shoulder more responsibility for the reconfiguration of the United Nations Mission with a view to a progressive and orderly withdrawal. I cannot conclude my statement without expressing my Government’s gratitude to Mr. Martin Kobler, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and to all the MONUSCO personnel and all the civilian and humanitarian staff who have been involved in the tireless efforts to achieve lasting peace and security in my country. It would be remiss of me if I did not express our gratitude to Mrs. Mary Robinson, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region of Africa, for her commitment and efforts in restoring lasting peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region. I would also like to express my country’s gratitude to all Council members for their devotion to the cause of peace and to restoring the dignity of the Congolese people.

There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.