Global Policy Forum

By Jerome Hule

New York, UN - While the UN Security Council has been blaming belligerents in the Democratic Republic of Congo for its inability to authorise the deployment of UN peacekeepers in the country, regional leaders involved in the conflict Monday criticised the council for not showing adequate support for the peace process in the country. As they addressed the Council at a special session on the conflict in the DRC, regional leaders argued that it was pretentious for the UN to expect perfect adherence to the cease-fire agreement for the DRC before they would deploy peacekeepers to the DRC.

President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe whose forces are backing the DRC government of President Laurent Kabila, said that the absence of UN peacekeepers and military observers in the DRC has created suspicions among the parties and thus made it possible for occasional cease-fire violations. "As partners in the search for peace in the DRC, we, the countries of the region, are disappointed and frustrated, by what we perceive as the lethargic manner in which the UN Security Council has responded to our call for assistance and urgent action," Mugabe said. He said while the Council has expressed its intention to authorise the deployment of military observers to the Congo, what was needed now was concrete action. The Council, the president said, was showing double standards, as it responded to last year's crisis in Kosovo with alacrity while it has been dragging its feet on African conflicts.

Admitting that the cease-fire agreement signed last July has been violated, the Zimbabwean leader, however, said the parties to the conflict are still committed to the agreement. OAU Secretary General Salim Ahmed Salim also reminded the Council that while the violation of the cease-fire by the parties was a serious concern, the agreement was still holding. "Moreover, the violations did not erode, in an irreversible manner, the commitment of the parties to the agreement, as the latter have continued to co-operate within the (joint military commission), the joint political committee and more recently in the selection of the facilitator for their political negotiations," he said.

Salim said Africa expected that deliberations at the current meeting would clear the way for a speedy deployment of UN military observers and peacekeepers in the DRC. In his contribution, Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos said the UN has the immediate and special responsibility to interposition and separate the warring forces so as to help uphold the cease-fire and avoid new violations. "To this effect, we ask that the UN act expeditiously by sending the peacekeeping forces and increasing logistical and financial support."

To ensure effective implementation of the peace accord, dos Santos made some suggestions, including accelerating the disarmament of rebel forces and the formation of a single national army and the recognition of the authority of the government of President Laurent Kabila. In addition, he said, security guarantees be established in the DRC capital of Kinshasa for rebel leaders while national debate be commenced with a focus on a provisional constitution and other political processes. In their respective statements, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Rwanda's President, Pasteur Bizimungu, stressed the need for the Security Council to understand that the conflict in the DRC was linked to the security situation in the whole Great Lakes region.

On his part, Museveni, who has been supporting the Congolese rebels, said the cease-fire agreement of last July provided for addressing the security concerns of the DRC's neighbouring countries. Uganda's involvement in the DRC, first against Mobutu Sese Seko and now against Kabila, was based on the country's concern for its security, he said. Museveni, like the other parties to the conflict, repeated his country's commitment to the cease-fire agreement, saying the UN should send its peacekeeping mission into the country to deal with the issues of disarmament, among others. Bizimungu, another supporter of the Congolese rebellion, urged the UN to take over the situation in the DRC as provided for in the cease-fire agreement intended to bring peace to sub- region.

Leaders of the countries involved in the DRC peace efforts are to meet Tuesday to work out ways of ensuring effective implementation of the cease-fire agreement for the country. The outcome of their meeting is expected to determine whether the Security Council would authorise the deployment of UN peacekeepers to the country.