"Time is right" for disarmament in east - UNDP

A mission led by the Emergency Response Division (ERD) of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has determined that "the time is right for the implementation of disarmament, demobilisation and durable solutions (D3) initiatives as dispositions and actions exist in the region that, if reinforced, could support a D3 process to check the continued evolution of armed groups within the DRC and the Great Lakes region". In an effort to better understand and solve the nature of problems related to D3, the ERD of UNDP conducted a mapping and programming mission to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), from 6 Aug to 13 Sept 2001. The main objectives of the mission were to review the current situation in the DRC and the Great Lakes region, particularly with respect to D3, small arms reduction and support to local reconciliation efforts. Others are to identify and catalogue existing approaches and strategies at both regional and local levels; to categorise the groups due to undergo D3, and the structures and organisations responsible for oversight; and to identify additional capacity needed to strengthen existing institutional structures and programmes, in close consultation with UNDP resident coordinators. Among "favourable currents" in the region, the mission cited general fatigue expressed by governments and populations after years of war; a change in attitude on the part of the Rwandan government towards granting amnesty and rehabilitating Hutu rebels not involved in the country's 1994 genocide; improved cooperation from Kinshasa authorities since January 2001, when Joseph Kabila succeeded his assassinated father as president of the DRC; a "new dynamic" in eastern DRC, leading to "a sense among the actors that a peaceful or negotiated resolution to the ongoing conflict is now possible" - particularly with regard to increased contacts made with Mayi-Mayi Congolese militias; and a nearly complete withdrawal of forces from frontline positions. The picture is not all rosy, however, as the mission warned of a number of "counter currents" that will pose serious challenges to the D3 process. Among them, UNDP cited continued instability and violence in eastern provinces of the DRC, and Ituri, North and South Kivu in particular; the emergence of the Forces democratiques pour la liberation du Rwanda (FDLR) who seek guarantees of an internal Rwandan political dialogue before they return; and the uncertain future of the peace process in Burundi, as rebel groups who have not signed the August 2000 Arusha accord continue to launch offensives from bases in eastern DRC. Nevertheless, with support expressed on Wednesday by the UN Security Council for "Phase III" of the UN peacekeeping operation in the DRC - a move that involves the deployment of UN troops and military observers towards the east of the country - UNDP believes the time is right for it to serve as the focal point for D3 by "promoting and guiding coherent recovery plans and strategies at provincial levels". It hopes to accomplish this by means of increased support to local reconciliation efforts, by assisting in small arms reduction, and be building stronger links among its country offices. In doing so, UNDP believes it will complement the structural and macroeconomic efforts of major multilateral and bilateral institutions in the region.