UN concern at MLC threats over Equateur

The leader of the rebel Mouvement de liberation du Congo (MLC) Jean-Pierre Bemba has said he will hold the UN Observer Mission in the DRC (MONUC) responsible - in the absence of any action by 23 July - for the consequences of remaining silent in the face of “flagrant ceasefire violations” by government forces (FAC) and allied Southern African Development Community (SADC) troops forces in their recent offensive in Equateur Province. Bemba has asked MONUC to condemn the attack on Imese, in which the government and its allies regained control of the town, and to urge the FAC/SADC to withdraw to the positions declared when the combatants drew up the Kampala disengagement plan in April, according to diplomatic sources. In addition, Bemba has said that all MONUC flights into MLC-controlled areas now require advance clearance, in the absence of which they would be shot down, they said. Senior UN officials are reported to be disturbed by Bemba’s stance, and by the MLC’s implicit and explicit threats against MONUC. The MLC’s restrictions on MONUC’s freedom of movement, in addition to persistent violations of this freedom by Kinshasa, continued to raise questions about the degree of the parties’ commitment to implementing the Lusaka agreement, according to UN sources. This would continue to be a key factor in shaping recommendations by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the Security Council in August on the future role of the UN in helping to resolve the DRC conflict, they added.