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United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said he "strongly deplores" the recent "public attacks" on the UN Organisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), and expressed support for his special envoy.
In a statement released on Monday through Annan's spokeswoman, he said he deplored attempts by Rwanda-backed rebel Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma) to "ban" his Special Representative in the DRC, Amos Namanga Ngongi, and the "expulsions" of several MONUC personnel from areas under rebel control, as well as the "physical intimidation" of MONUC personnel.
"The RCD-Goma leadership should put an end to these unjustifiable attacks and realise that it is in its own interest, and indeed in that of the people of the DRC, to cease harassment of UN officials, cooperate fully in investigations of recent events in Kisangani, and help move the peace process forward," Annan said.
He said he trusted the international community would remain fully supportive of “the courageous United Nations staff" operating in the country, and in particular Ngongi.
Relations between the RCD-Goma and the UN have been strained since MONUC produced its report on 23 May accusing the RCD-Goma of "grave violations of human rights and humanitarian law" in the eastern Congolese city of Kisangani, following a mutiny within the rebel group.
Last week, the RCD-Goma leader, Adolphe Onusumba, declared Ngongi "persona non grata" and demanded his recall. He accused Ngongi of supporting the agreement reached in April in Sun City, South Africa, by Joseph Kabila's government, Jean-Pierre Bemba's rebel Mouvement pour la liberation du Congo (MLC), and a majority of political opposition and civil society groups in the Congo. "We want him to go, because we are most dissatisfied at his bias," AFP quoted Onusumba as saying.
The UN's human rights chief in Kisangani, Luc Henkinbrant, and two peacekeeping officials were also ordered out for "threatening internal security". On Saturday, MONUC rejected the accusations against the officials, stating that it "strongly protested against the intrigues and intimidatory measures" taken against them, notably the deployment of RCD-Goma military around their homes. MONUC also demanded an end to the "unacceptable harassment" of UN staff.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
