S/PV.7659 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/2016/289, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by France, Japan, Ukraine, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America and Uruguay. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2016/233, which contains the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 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.

The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2277 (2016). I now give the floor to the representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

As Angola’s presidency of the Security Council is coming to an end, allow me to convey to you, Sir, the full esteem and appreciation of my delegation for the mastery with which you have led the Security Council’s work this month, and for the expertise and competence with which you have fulfilled your mission. I take this opportunity to thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak before the Council at this meeting on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. My delegation notes the adoption a moment ago of resolution 2277 (2016), on the renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). While thanking the Council for this act, and through it the United Nations, my Government regrets and cannot hide its disappointment that the resolution chooses to ignore the relevant views of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on key issues involving its future. I therefore wish to comment briefly on certain points, in particular regarding the elections, the fight against armed groups and the drawdown of MONUSCO. With respect to the elections, as His Excellency Mr. Raymond Tshibanda, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, reaffirmed before the Council on 23 March (see S/PV.7654), my country attaches great importance to the organization of free elections that meet international standards of inclusiveness, transparency and credibility. The insistence of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of my country on the importance that the Democratic Republic of the Congo attaches to peace and stability should not be interpreted as an excuse for my country to postpone the elections. The leader of the Congolese diplomatic corps simply meant that, given our experience in the elections of 2006 and 2011, the necessary requirements and conditions essential to the proper conduct of elections must be met in such a manner that they are in no way tainted by violence either before, during or after their organization, and that the results do not give rise to disputes. Regarding the delay in the electoral process, which the Council has deplored, it is due to one section of the opposition that, after procrastinating recklessly, is causing the stalemate in the process. That group continues to hinder dialogue to this day. Moreover, in the view of my delegation, the Council ought not to have encroached on powers that, under the law of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, fall to the jurisdiction of the National Independent Electoral Commission. In that context, it could have— as it has done in the past— left the setting of all upcoming deadlines, including for the legislative and presidential elections, to the competence of Commission, to which it has recommended the publication of a revised overall electoral calendar. My delegation welcomes the recommendation and support of the Council for the political dialogue, thereby endorsing the initiative of His Excellency Mr. Joseph Kabila Kabange, President of the Republic, who called for its organization a few months ago. The national dialogue will be a landmark in the collective assumption of ownership of our country’s future. My Government reaffirms its determination to pursue its efforts to secure the eastern part of its territory. It will therefore pursue the eradication of armed groups and negative forces so as to stabilize the situation in order to enable our people to live in peace, to go freely about their business and to devote themselves to the development of their country. The Security Council will agree that this objective can be achieved only with the cooperation of all countries of the region, especially those that are concerned with the situation in the eastern part my country. By combining our efforts, we can together make our region a haven of peace, as the Council has always hoped it would become. We recognize, however, that the failure of some countries of the region to honour their commitments under the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region constitutes a danger that could undermine those efforts. It is with that concern in mind that my delegation cannot conceal its surprise that the Council has made no reference to the serious situation described in the latest report of the Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (S/2015/797). Indeed, according to the report, the Group of Experts established by resolution 1533 (2004) refers to Burundian refugees who had been recruited in a neighbouring country, given military training by that country, armed and infiltrated into the Democratic Republic of the Congo with Congolese voting cards to sow unrest in Burundi. My delegation cannot understand how the Council can remain silent on such a serious situation, which has been brought to its attention by its own experts. My country, which already suffers crimes of all kinds committed by armed groups and negative forces against its people, cannot agree to become yet again the safe haven of a new foreign armed group. Concerning the gradual drawdown of MONUSCO, my Government also regrets that the Council has been unable to respond favourably to the legitimate request addressed to it by my country. My delegation has trouble accepting the Council’s position on this issue, to the extent that it has not taken into account the figure of 1,700 men recommended by the Secretary-General. We believe that this position shows a lack of flexibility that may affect the mood of the work on the ground and sap the enthusiasm inspired by the new MONUSCO leadership. Nor can we understand the justification that the current workforce of MONUSCO must be maintained in order to address the various threats it faces, given the fact that after 17 years in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and with the financial and logistical resources available to it, MONUSCO could have achieved more results if outcomes were dependent on greater numbers. Yet its record is mixed. This means, and we should not hesitate to say, that the troubles plaguing MONUSCO are deep and deserve careful consideration. Moreover, my delegation also cannot understand how the Security Council could adopt a resolution that paints an outdated picture of developments and the progress achieved on the ground by our country. Regardless of all that, my Government will pursue, in accordance with its national and international commitments, the implementation of its various projects and all the multisectoral reforms it has undertaken over the past decade in the interests of its people.