Act now to avert total collapse, ICG urges

Urgent action is needed to avert a collapse of the peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and possible re-emergence of war there, the International Crisis Group (ICG) said in a new report on Thursday.

The report, "Maintaining Momentum in the Congo: The Ituri Problem", says that in addition to the recent massacre of Congolese refugees in a Burundian camp and a wave of instability in eastern DRC, "the closely related situation in the Ituri district is equally worrying".

High on its list of recommendations is an appeal to the UN Security Council to strengthen the UN Mission in the DRC, known by its French acronym MONUC, when its mandate comes up for renewal on 1 October. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan recently submitted a report on the DRC to the Security Council, in which he sought an increase of MONUC troops from 10,800 to 23,900.

"MONUC needs a clearer mandate and more resources to go proactively after armed groups and to encourage it to devise a diplomatic and political strategy that can support the efforts of the fragile transitional government in Kinshasa [the capital] to assert control before it is too late," ICG said.

ICG added: "The key element, at least for Ituri, is not many more troops. While MONUC should be at least doubled from its present 10,800, most of the new troops are likely to be needed more urgently in the Kivus."

ICG also wants the Security Council to act on the recommendations of various UN reports on economic exploitation and the proliferation of arms in the DRC, "with particular emphasis on isolating the armed groups in Ituri and applying pressure on neighbouring governments to cooperate in the elimination of such activities from within their borders in accordance with existing UN security Council Resolutions".

The report recommended that the DRC's transitional government should ensure that the armed groups in Ituri did not receive support from any elements of the government or from any other Congolese nationals. It said the government should develop "appropriate mechanisms", in conjunction with Rwanda and Uganda, to end the support the Ituri armed groups receive from outside the DRC.

Among other recommendations, the ICG wants the International Criminal Court to focus its initial investigations in the DRC on Ituri, with particular attention to leaders of armed groups.

It also urged the armed groups to cease military action against each other, MONUC and civilians, and instead allow MONUC and humanitarian agencies unimpeded access to all areas under their control.

[On the Net: The ICG report: www.icg.org]