UN mission grounded

The first mission of the technical survey team of MONUC, the UN observer mission to the DRC, was postponed on Sunday when the authorities in Kinshasa refused to let it proceed, despite prior agreement. A one-day trip to the town of Mbandaka, Equateur Province, had been scheduled, but flight permission was refused at the last minute without explanation, sources in Kinshasa told IRIN on Monday. The grounding of the survey team has been interpreted as “an obvious sign of bad will from the DRC authorities, and especially from [Interior Minister Gaetan] Kakudji”, who has reportedly made life difficult for MONUC since the start of the mission, the sources said. The DRC authorities have yet to give the freedom of movement and safety guarantees that would allow MONUC to deploy military liaison officers (MLOs) in the field. A meeting between MONUC and Kakudji was scheduled for Monday, but an early departure for the technical survey team was possible unless relations with the DRC authority improved, the sources added.