April 5, 2001
The UN Security Council is likely to send more than half its ambassadors to Congo in May to get a first-hand assessment of efforts to end the 2 1/2-year civil war that has engulfed central Africa.
"Its priority will be to ensure that the peace process is taken forward and that the parties are motivated to the maximum to fulfill their commitments," Britain's UN Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock, the current council president, said on Wednesday. He said the prospect of a council mission has moved "from possibility to probability," and he expects eight of the 15 council members to participate.
Rebels, backed by Rwanda and Uganda, took up arms to topple former Congolese President Laurent Kabila in August 1998. Zimbabwe, Namibia and Angola joined the fight in support of Kabila. A 1999 cease-fire signed by most combatants was never fully implemented, but the search for peace gained momentum following Kabila's assassination in January and the succession of his son, Joseph, to the presidency.
Taking advantage of the improved peace prospects, the Security Council in late February set a new timetable for the warring sides to pull back troops from front lines and for UN observers to verify their departure. The council set March 15 as the starting date for the various forces to begin a 15km pullback to defensive positions that will be overseen by UN military observers. By May 15, the warring sides must prepare a plan for the complete withdrawal of foreign troops.
Greenstock told reporters after the council was briefed on the latest situation in Congo that the mission would likely visit Kinshasa and some other countries involved in the conflict in the second half of May. This will be done in order to follow up on plans for disarmament, demobilisation, reintegration, and repatriation or resettlement of all armed groups.
UN military observers have started verifying the disengagement process, but Congolese rebels admitted on Tuesday that they have not pulled back all of their fighters from front line towns in accordance with the peace deal.
The council ambassadors will want to see how and where the UN military observers are being deployed - and determine whether they need any adjustments to their mandate, which is due to be renewed on June 15, Greenstock said. The UN mission has an authorised strength of 2500 military observers and 2000 support troops, but just a few hundred are currently deployed.
