EU-led force to bolster MONUC in Bunia handover

The UN Security Council on Tuesday authorised the EU-led multinational peace enforcement mission in Bunia, the main town of the troubled Ituri District in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), to provide assistance to the UN peacekeeping mission, known as MONUC, as the former withdraws and the latter is reinforced and deployed in and around Bunia. Under Resolution 1501, adopted unanimously by the 15-member council upon the recommendation of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, this assistance is intended to ensure a smooth transition as MONUC assumes the responsibilities of the force, whose mandate ends on 1 September and whose withdrawal is due to be completed by 15 September. In a letter to the council on 14 August, Annan said such a contingency was needed in case Bunia became volatile during the transition period. He added that MONUC's preparations for deployment of a brigade-size force in Bunia were well underway. In May, the council authorised the deployment of the interim multinational force to help stabilise Bunia, where economically-fuelled inter-ethnic fighting has resulted in the deaths of at least 50,000 people and the displacement of at least 500,000 since late 1998. On 28 July, the council adopted a resolution giving MONUC a stronger mandate and increasing its authorised strength from 8,700 to 10,800 troops. The council also extended MONUC's mandate until 30 July 2004. Furthermore, Resolution 1493 enabled MONUC to act under Chapter Seven of the UN Charter, which authorises the use of "all necessary means" to fulfil its mandate. In an interview with IRIN on 12 August, MONUC head William Swing said that more than 2,000 troops would be in Bunia by 1 September, with an additional 1,000 in place by the end of September. He added that MONUC planned on ultimately deploying about 3,800 soldiers.