Washington Pressures MONUSCO to end FDLR Rebellion

{Washington has asked the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) to redouble their efforts in the fight against the Rwandan Hutu rebels in the eastern part of the DRC.}

The call was made Friday by the special envoy of the United States to the Great Lakes region, Russ Feingold, during a telephone press conference which comes before a trip he must do in the coming days in the DRC.

Feingold said that FDLR must face a similar end as of M23

Feingold was referring to the March 23 Movement (M23), an essentially Tutsi rebels who caused trouble for eighteen months in the province of North Kivu (eastern DRC) before being defeated in early November by the Congolese army, with the support of MONUSCO.

“It is essential that MONUSCO, in accordance with its mission, stepping up efforts to honor its commitment to conduct operations in support of [fighting] against the FDLR” said Mr. Feingold, who was in Johannesburg.

In March 2013, the Security Council of the UN with MONUSCO approved an intervention brigade of 3,000 men with an offensive mandate to enable it to neutralize all active armed groups in the DRC, mainly in the East.

After the victory against the M23, the Congolese government announced its intention to forcibly disarm all foreign and Congolese militias in the country who have not surrendered, starting with the FDLR.

In December, MONUSCO and the Congolese army launched operations against the FDLR in North Kivu, but without really going into battle.

Wednesday, Deputy Special Representative of the UN in DRC Wafy Abdallah said that the fight against the FDLR could not take the same form as against the M23 that Rwandan rebels moved with women and children so there was a big risk of civilian casualties.

During his telephone press briefing, Mr. Feingold said that MONUSCO should conduct its offensive operations against armed groups associated with actions inciting peaceful demobilization and reintegration of combatants who wish to surrender.

In fact, since the defeat of the M23, the UN reported a significant increase in defections within armed groups, including among the FDLR.