Calm in Bunia, transitional government keys to situation in DR of Congo, Annan says

The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) needs to be tackled on two fronts – taking steps to calm war-ravaged Bunia and pressing forward on the political side with the formation of a transitional government, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today.

Speaking to reporters upon his arrival at UN Headquarters in New York, the Secretary-General noted that he will be sending Mustapha Niasse as his Special Representative, with Gen. Maurice Baril, who was Chief of Staff of the Canadian Armed Forces and former Military Adviser at the UN, to work with the DRC Government on the formation of the new Congolese army.

“We hope we will be able to give them assistance, by resolving that problem so they can move forward with the formation of the government,” he said. “I believe if we can make progress on the political front it will also have impact on the military situation. Of course we have also asked the Council to approve a new plan that will allow increase of the UN forces in the Congo.” In a new report out yesterday, the Secretary-General recommended boosting the military strength of the UN Organization Mission in the DRC (MONUC) to 10,800 troops.

In related news, MONUC is coordinating joint mechanisms on the ground with the interim emergency multinational force in advance of its deployment in Bunia, according to a UN spokesman. Consultations with troop contributing countries to that force are also continuing.

A Security Council mission, led by Ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sablière of France, will travel to the region later this week to gain a firsthand assessment of the situation. That mission is also scheduled to visit South Africa, Angola, Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania.

Meanwhile, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said that insecurity in the Ituri region was hampering the distribution of food aid to the displaced populations. The agency said it had just completed a general distribution in difficult conditions of three weeks of rations to 9,000 displaced persons – who were regularly harassed by rebel groups – near the airport.

For its part, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that relief activities in the DRC are severely underfunded, with only 18.5 per cent of funding received against an appeal of more than $220 million.

Video of Mr. Annan's press remarks