French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has called for the mandate of UN forces in the DR Congo (former Zaire) to be strengthened, reports BBC online Monday.
– We need different soldiers, and different rules of engagement. We need more of an offensive capability, he said after briefing his EU counterparts about his weekend visit there. He stated that the peacekeepers rules of engagement were “insufficient” and “very restrictive”.
Rebels routed the Congolese army in the eastern North Kivu province last week, and are now threatening the regional capital. Tens of thousands of people have been forced from their homes in the area.
The rebel leader, renegade General Laurent Nkunda, has declared a ceasefire and said he will guarantee “humanitarian corridors” through rebel lines. Gen Nkundas forces are positioned outside Goma, the regional capital. The UN has a 17.000-strong force in the country, called Monuc. It is its biggest mission in the world, but it is struggling to contain the conflict.
In New York, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon named former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo as his special envoy to help resolve the crisis.
Meanwhile an aid convoy escorted by UN troops arrived in Rutshuru, a rebel-held town 75 km north of Goma. It carried medical supplies and water purification tablets. The UN said it hoped food convoys could follow.
Aid workers found that refugee camps that had held tens of thousands are now virtually empty. It is believed many people left fearing further violence. While as many as 50.000 displaced people reached Goma, many others have tried to return to their homes on foot through rebel-held territory.
Many have been reduced to foraging for wild roots and berries in the bush, without safe shelter, water and care. The recent rebel offensive was exacerbated by a wave of killing, looting and raping by retreating Congolese soldiers.
