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UN Mission backs Congolese army in setting up security zone in east DRC

31 July 2013 02:00 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), known as MONUSCO, will support the Congolese army in establishing a security zone in Goma, a main city in the eastern DRC, and its northern suburbs, a UN spokesman said here on Tuesday, APA reports.

The Mission made the decision in light of the high risk to the civilian population in the Goma-Sake area of North Kivu, the eastern DRC, UN deputy spokesman Eduardo del Buey told a daily news briefing here.

"The UN Mission says that since mid-May, the area has seen repeated attacks by the (rebel) M23 against Congolese army positions in an apparent attempt to advance on Goma and Sake," he said. "It adds that in these attacks, the latest of which started on July 14, the M23 has used indiscriminate and indirect fire, including by heavy weapons, resulting in civilian casualties. The M23 has also targeted UN installations with its fire."

Earlier this week, the Mission said that it is highly alarmed over allegations of killings, forced recruitment and illegal detention of civilians by the M23.

Over the past year, the M23, along with other armed groups, has clashed repeatedly with Congolese armed forces in the eastern DRC, with the rebels briefly occupying Goma, the region's main city, in November 2012.

The fighting, which erupted again in recent days, has displaced more than 100,000 people, exacerbating an ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region which involves 2.6 million internally displaced people and 6.4 million in need of food and emergency aid.

According to the UN Mission, since new hostilities broke out in mid-July, the M23 has been preventing humanitarian access to some towns and areas devastated by the fighting, especially Mutaho.

"The Mission says that the security zone will push these threats out of range of Goma," del Buey said. "It also says that the security zone may be expanded and repeated elsewhere, where it is needed."

The spokesperson added that any individuals in this area who are not members of the national security forces will be given 48 hours as of 4 p.m. (Goma time) Tuesday to hand in their weapon to a MONUSCO base and join the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process.

After 4 p.m. local time Thursday, "they will be considered an imminent threat of physical violence to civilians and MONUSCO will take all necessary measures to disarm them, including by the use of force in accordance with its mandate and rules of engagement," del Buey said.