Global Policy Forum

Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila on Wednesday called for more United Nations support for his country's peace efforts. "The Congolese people and transitional government want to see the United Nations redouble its efforts in support of the ongoing peace and reunification process," Kabila told the United Nations' 48th General Assembly here.

The Democratic Republic of Congo emerged from nearly five years of war in April, when a transition government, tasked with guiding the country to democratic elections, was set up. An agreement on the government signed last December in South Africa sees the rebel forces being integrated with government forces, with former rebel commanders receiving posts in various parts of the country. A UN mission, known by the French acronym MONUC, is operating in the country. However the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) warned Tuesday that the rebel elements are trying to undermine the peace process in the strife-torn central African state.

Kabila thanked the international community for its efforts thus far but added that the northeastern Ituri district was an "open wound which the slightest negligence could aggravate". Ituri has been plagued since 1999 by inter-ethnic clashes that have killed around 50,000. The different armed groups have profited from the crisis by illegally mining the abundant natural resources in the area such as cobalt, copper, diamonds, gold and coltan, used in the production of mobile phones. The 3,800-strong MONUC peacekeeping force, made up of mainly Bangladeshi and Pakistani soldiers, has a UN Security Council mandate to police the entire Ituri region. "While the deployment of the interim multilateral force in (the northeastern town of) Bunia has allowed a net reduction in acts of violence and contributed to the stabilisation of the security and humanitarian situation there, the situation in the northern provinces and (the mineral-rich eastern province of) Sud-Kivu remains worrying," he added.

The 32-year-old Kabila presides over a government of national unity tasked with preparing the ground for democratic elections. He called on neighbouring countries to "respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of the DRC, so as to create a climate conducive to the return of normal relations in the region". At its peak, the war drew in troops from Angola, Namibia, Chad and Zimbabwe on the government side as Rwanda and Uganda supported different rebel groups. Kabila called for assistance, including financial, from the international community to rebuild the country as "an oasis of peace" and to aid the electoral process. He also called for the eventual setting up of an international court to deal with war crimes, including genocide.

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