New MONUC head announces 3,800-strong force for Ituri

A 3,800-strong force will soon be deployed in the embattled Ituri District of northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as well as in other locations, the new Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to the UN, William Lacy Swing, announced on Sunday.

"The idea is to have a brigade of about 3,800 men," Swing told a news conference in Bunia, the main town of Ituri District, where fighting between ethnic militias took a precipitous turn for the worse in May.

"Major planning is currently underway to ensure the handover following 1 September," he said, when the mandate of a French-led multinational peace enforcement mission is due to end.

Although Swing did not give the exact arrival date of the force, under the aegis of the UN Mission in the DRC, known as MONUC, he said that Bangladesh, Nepal and Indonesia would be among the countries contributing soldiers to it. An advance team of the Bangladeshi contingent arrived in Bunia on Sunday to prepare for the arrival of their colleagues.

Swing said that there would be no power vacuum in Bunia after the departure of the multinational force.

"Security in Bunia will remain as strong as it is at present after 1 September," he said.

The "task force" for Ituri would be MONUC's second, following the recent deployment of a 1,500-strong South African force in Kindu in the east, whose mission is to disarm and repatriate Interahamwe, Rwandan Hutu militias, and soldiers of Rwanda's former army, ex-FAR, said to be largely responsible for the 1994 genocide.

Appointed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 22 May, Swing arrived in the DRC on Saturday and soon thereafter boarded a plane to Bunia.

"Given the urgency and the numerous problems that remain to be resolved, I thought it necessary to come here immediately to gain an understanding of the situation on the ground," Swing told IRIN.

"I will dedicate myself to improving relations between MONUC and Congolese authorities," he said. "I congratulate and support the inaugurations of the new government," he added.

Swing expressed his support for the interim administration of Ituri, with whose representatives he met in Bunia.

He also met with representatives of the humanitarian community, who said they wished to have greater access to populations outside of Bunia, such as the town of Kasenyi, on the shores of Lake Albert.

A MONUC reconnaissance mission to Kasenyi is due to take place following a demining operation.

Humanitarian sources reported that more than 18,000 displaced people remain in a camp at the Bunia airport. The displaced said that their homes have been occupied and that threats have been made against their return, the sources added.

Swing also announced that efforts were underway to put in place a civil police force to further ensure security in Bunia.

Swing, a veteran US diplomat, most recently served as Annan's special representative to Western Sahara. Prior to that, Swing served as US ambassador to the DRC. He has also served as US ambassador to neighbouring Republic of Congo, as well as to Haiti, Liberia, Nigeria and South Africa.