UN peacekeepers not involved in military offensive against armed group in DR Congo

The joint military operation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) against a Hutu militia fighting in the war-ravaged region does not involve United Nations blue helmets, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the country, Alan Doss, stressed today.

The offensive against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an armed group which has been in eastern DRC since the Rwandan genocide in 1994, is a result of an agreement between the Governments of DRC and Rwanda.

The FDLR has been involved in the flare-up of clashes since late August mainly in North Kivu, where the national army, the mainly Tutsi militia – known as the CNDP – and other rebel groups such as the Mai Mai have fought in shifting alliances, uprooting around 250,000 civilians on top of the 800,000 already displaced by violence in recent years.

Mr. Doss urged the parties to ensure the protection of civilians and to fully adhere to international humanitarian law, adding that the UN Mission in DRC, known by its French acronym MONUC, will uphold its mandate in protecting civilians.

MONUC will also continue to support the Government’s efforts to integrate armed groups into its army, as well as its efforts regarding humanitarian assistance and the political process.