UN Security Council to meet Monday on situation in DR of Congo

The Security Council plans to meet Monday on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a United Nations spokesman announced today.

The Council's meeting, scheduled for 11:30 a.m., will be held behind closed doors and is expected to review the latest developments in the DRC, where ongoing fighting is complicating UN efforts to improve stability and deliver aid to the country's beleaguered people.

On Friday, Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged all warring parties in the eastern DRC to cooperate unconditionally in the release of two UN military observers who had been abducted in the town of Beni.

Meanwhile, up to 200,000 people have reportedly fled from towns in North Kivu ahead of the latest offensive by the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie (RCD-Goma). UN agencies and non-governmental organizations have been evacuating staff from Beni and Butembo, warning that if the offensive continues, more people will flee, exhausting the capacity of relief agencies to adequately respond to burgeoning humanitarian needs.