YouSaid · the spoken record

Ileka

lines on the record: 371
first: 2000-01-10
most recent: 2012-11-28
sittings or episodes: 24
sources: un-security-council

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“Before continuing with my statement, allow me to tell the Secretary-General that the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo will have the opportunity in due course to thank him for his appointment of Ambassador William Lacey Swing his Special Representative to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For us, the Congolese, Ambassador Swing is a well-known individual who needs no special introduction. Today we would like to pay a heartfelt tribute to our brother, Amos Namanga Ngongi of Cameroon, for his outstanding work. Under his mandate, the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) has worked for the cause of peace and the restoration of dignity for the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2003-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4790 (2003) · source
“Mr. Ileka (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (spoke in French): Allow us, at the outset, to thank you, Mr. President, for having kindly convened this important meeting of the Security Council on the situation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We wish to welcome Mr. Javier Solana, High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union (EU), and to express to him our appreciation for his comprehensive statement made following his visit to the region. We have also followed with great interest the contributions to today's discussions of Mr. Guehenno and Mr. Ngongi, who have accurately described the reality in the field.”
2003-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4790 (2003) · source
“Before I conclude, my delegation would like to ask the Security Council to be so kind as to express to the Secretary-General our gratitude for his tireless efforts to restore peace in our country. We are grateful to him for his recent initiative and take this opportunity to sincerely thank, again through you, Mr. President, all the countries that decided to respond favourably to it in one form or another. These thanks for the Council's tireless and unfailing commitment to the Congolese people will be reiterated in several days' time by the Republic's most authorized spokesman.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766Resumption1 (2003) · source
“Then it will be important that the region's two other countries take into account the efforts undoubtedly being undertaken with a view to genuine democracy, reconciliation and national harmony. Over the long term, the organization and convening of an international conference on peace and security in the Great Lakes region is becoming an absolute necessity. Such a conference, from our point of view, would be the most viable forum for laying the foundations for new relations marked by respect and trust among the region's countries. Once peace is restored, Congolese men and women will not fail to share with the world their vision of what they intend to accomplish for the happiness of present and future generations. We hope to share and to realize our dream with the assistance of you, the members of the international community.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766Resumption1 (2003) · source
“In that connection, we followed with much interest the views expressed this afternoon by the delegations of Germany, Bulgaria and Guinea. We must also put an end to the illegal exploitation of natural resources. Such resources are ultimately a curse for the countries that by chance possess them. Those countries, including ours, are extremely poor and represent nearly all of the world's conflicts. In parallel, it would be useful to combine the region's various peace processes in a comprehensive approach. The Arusha process, for Burundi, is well under way and seems to be on the right path. The Lusaka process, for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is irreversible. We hope that both processes succeed and that a free and democratic space is created. That will be good for the Great Lakes region.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766Resumption1 (2003) · source
“Therefore, the capacities of the Transitional Government deserve to be strengthened to that effect. In the short and medium term, the concepts of disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and repatriation (DDRR) and disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and repatriation or resettlement (DDRRR) should be rethought if we wish them to be truly effective. Naturally, they should pertain to the groups mentioned in the annexes to the Lusaka Agreement, but they should also extend to those that were created recently, some of which are fighting in Ituri. It is also essential to create a viable mechanism to halt the circulation of small arms and light weapons, which creates situations of instability, veritable breeding grounds for all kinds of criminal, organized crime and terrorist networks.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766Resumption1 (2003) · source
“Reform of the army - a crucial attribute of the sovereignty and defence of national territory - must be supported and accelerated, particularly in the context of the swift formation of an inclusive and republican army. Reform of the judicial system, for its part, should be a priority so that we can deal with the thorny question of the administration of justice and impunity. The millions of Congolese men and women who have suffered grievously from armed aggression and from atrocities committed by warlords are demanding justice. They cannot be denied it. The Ituri Pacification Commission's resolutions also deserve to be supported unreservedly. They must be fully implemented. However, it should be pointed out that the tasks of pacification, reconciliation and respect for law and order are functions that belong to a governmental entity.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766Resumption1 (2003) · source
“We are convinced that the same will apply to the mission to Central Africa, which we will have the signal honour to host in a few days' time in Kinshasa. The challenges are immense, certainly, but they are not insurmountable. In the immediate future, particular emphasis should be placed on the implementation of the transition and on the completion of the ongoing peace process. The cessation of hostilities throughout the national territory - more particularly in the east - is crucial in order to enable the Transitional Government to establish its authority, in conformity with the relevant Security Council resolutions with the Lusaka Agreement and with other subsequent partial agreements. The reforms envisaged by the Transitional Constitution deserve to be supported.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766Resumption1 (2003) · source
“Are we to consider him for what he really is - I repeat, a criminal - or are we to lay out the red carpet for him? At a time when the Security Council is resolutely committed to the stabilization of Ituri and, therefore, of the entire Democratic Republic of the Congo and the whole Great Lakes region, Ituri will undoubtedly be an important test of the will of the nation and of the international community. In the context of the partnership that has fortunately been forged among the Security Council, the African Union and the parties involved or interested in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Council has taken the initiative of dispatching a mission to the region on a regular basis. We note with satisfaction that every Council mission visit has given rise to notable progress in the peace process.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766Resumption1 (2003) · source
“The message must be made clear, and the Security Council must send a strong signal to those who commit such atrocities. For example, those responsible for the murders committed on 14 and 15 May 2002 in Kisangani - whose names are in official United Nations reports - are still moving about freely and continue to attend to their business. In such cases, how can a potential violator of human rights and of international humanitarian law not feel safe to commit another crime if he knows beforehand that, after committing it, not only will he go unpunished, but perhaps he might even benefit from a minor perquisite or a bonus, granted on the altar of peace. That is the case with Thomas Lubanga, a former inmate of the central prison of Makala, in Kinshasa, and a well-known criminal and terrorist.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766Resumption1 (2003) · source
“Ituri is just a new catastrophe in the Congolese tragedy. There are hundreds of verified deaths, thousands of internally displaced persons and thousands of people living in subhuman conditions in and around MONUC areas, where they are seeking refuge under the protection of Uruguayan troops, who have done excellent work. My delegation cannot fail to recall that members of the international community have paid a heavy price. Two representatives of the Red Cross and two MONUC officers, far from their families, fully committed to the cause of returning peace and dignity to our country, were savagely murdered. Their bodies were found mutilated beyond what one can imagine. In the light of all those atrocities, it is important that the international community's message not be hampered by ambiguity.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766Resumption1 (2003) · source
“The sheer numbers of callous warlords in Ituri, like those further south in the provinces of Nord-Kivu, Sud-Kivu and Maniema, are of such great concern that some are now even talking about the "Somalization" of that part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Worse still, the atrocities enable us to draw a certain parallel to other events, such as those carried out about 10 years ago in Rwanda, where a terrible genocide occurred. Broadcasts by Thomas Lubanga's Radio Candip remind us quite starkly of those aired by Radio Mille Collines of such sad memory. Ituri is but one symptom of the general situation in the country. Recent massacres there compound a long and macabre list of massive violations of human rights and of international humanitarian law since the outbreak of the war of aggression on 2 August 1998.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766Resumption1 (2003) · source
“While we sincerely thank the Security Council for keeping the situation in our country among its priorities, we take this opportunity also to express our gratitude for this morning's unanimous response to the request of the Secretary-General to deploy as soon as possible a multinational force in Bunia with a view to helping a return to normalcy in Ituri, a district of Orientale province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo that has been stricken, for the second time in just a few months, by the misdeeds of the forces of evil. Orchestrated by two neighbouring countries, the events in Bunia are strikingly similar to those we have seen in Kisangani, where the regular armies of those same two countries clashed on several occasions with heavy weapons, claiming thousands of victims.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766Resumption1 (2003) · source
“Mr. Ileka (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (spoke in French): Now that your presidency of the Security Council for this month is drawing to an end, Sir, allow me to express my delegation's satisfaction with the outstanding manner in which you have carried out your noble mission and to pay tribute to your skills and competence. My delegation fully endorses the statement made by the representative of the sisterly Republic of the Congo, who, with his customary clarity and eloquence, gave, on behalf of the countries of the Economic Community of Central African States, an outline of developments in our community in the area of peace and security. My delegation will therefore limit its statement to the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766Resumption1 (2003) · source
“Once again, my delegation stresses the need to convene an international peace conference on peace and security in the Great Lakes region as a peaceful way of fostering peace and understanding in the region. Through a frank and sincere dialogue, it will be possible to restore good-neighbourly relations, re- establish peace and create conditions favourable for the administration of justice, as well as for economic and social development. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and its people expect a prompt and responsible reaction from the Security Council, which cannot Shirk its responsibilities without risk of seeing its credibility undermined in the eyes of the Congolese people.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“In the same vein, and to avoid the possibility of calling into question the whole of the peace process, the Council would benefit from applying all measures authorized by the Charter, in particular under Articles 39 to 42, against recalcitrant parties - whether or not they have signed the Lusaka Agreement - that are not fully complying with the relevant provisions of the Council's resolutions. Only thus can we hope to reach the immediate objective of a return to lasting peace for my country and for the entire Great Lakes region. In conclusion, it will also be important for the Council to be able to deal with the Congolese question in the context of an appropriate post-conflict response.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“My Government thus reserves the right to go before the International Criminal Court, which should not only prosecute and bring to justice those responsible for the most serious crimes, including the acts of cannibalism, but also to decide on compensation for the victims of those horrific acts. The Congolese people demand just and equitable reparations for the damages suffered. Paragraph 14 of resolution 1304 (2000) provides the legal basis for the Security Council to intervene, in that it calls on Uganda and Rwanda to make reparations for the loss of life and the property damage inflicted on the town of Kisangani.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“With regard in particular to the acts of cannibalism committed recently in Ituri, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has the right, as a State party to the Statute of the International Criminal Court, to resort first of all to the competence of its own national tribunals, in accordance with the principle of complementarity. Before it can do so, however, it will have to wait for the draft law on the implementation of the Rome Statute to be accepted by our parliament and promulgated by the President of the Republic and for the completion of the process currently under way to reform the institutional system.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“The Security Council must fully assume its responsibilities and set up an international criminal tribunal capable of tracking down and punishing those responsible for the massacres committed in the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In the absence of such a tribunal, the Council could opt for a special criminal court based on the Sierra Leone model or on that now being developed for Cambodia. Its competence would extend to the area under occupation - an occupation that is completely illegitimate. Such a tribunal must avoid making a mockery of justice, as is about to happen in Gbadolite, in the north of my country.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“The new ceiling authorized for the military personnel of MONUC who will undertake that task should be reached as soon as possible. Likewise, a major increase in civilian personnel, including observers and human rights experts, would be desirable so as to enable MONUC effectively to carry out its support policies. In order to put an end to the cycle of violence and the culture of impunity that have taken up residence in my country, my Government calls on the Security Council to devise ways in which the protection of civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo can be effectively ensured. Such means could include strengthening the rule of law and the administration of justice and the creation of mechanisms by which all those responsible for human rights violations and war crimes could be made to answer for their actions.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“The Council could also call for and obtain the full, unconditional and verified withdrawal of the troops of aggression, in conformity with the relevant Council resolutions; their presence on Congolese territory is the root cause of the suffering of our people and of the nightmare through which they have been living. Finally, after having ensured that all the parties are committed to a comprehensive and inclusive agreement, the Council must support such an agreement and the political transition arising from it. A change in the mandate of MONUC is thus necessary. It should shift immediately from simple observation to peacekeeping during the transition period - a period of fragility, rife with a potential for danger that should not be underestimated.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“My Government would also like to thank the Security Council for having continued to exert pressure on all the parties to the conflict, whether or not they signed the Lusaka Agreement, to respect human rights and international humanitarian law, ensure the protection of civilians and put an end to impunity. My Government believes, however, that the Security Council could take further action, for example by encouraging all neighbouring countries to bring their influence to bear on the armed groups that they created so as to ensure that they respect their obligations with regard to human rights and international humanitarian law, including ending the persecution of those fighting in defence of human rights.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“Holding the final meeting of the inter-Congolese dialogue in Kisangani would be a sign of solidarity; a fresh tribute to the memory of the Congolese and foreign victims of armed aggression; and testimony to the concern of the international community when wounds will have to be healed, misery eased and the ruins rebuilt which the war of aggression strewed throughout Orientale province. What do we have the right to expect from the international community in general and from the Security Council in particular? Mr. Vieira de Mello gave us some clear signs today. My Government fully supports his conclusions, and we express the hope that the recommendations of the High Commissioner for Human Rights will be followed by the Council.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“Kisangani is in fact the crucible of all the major calamities that have swept over our country following its accession to national sovereignty. That city has paid a heavy price throughout the war years. Many Congolese in that city and in Orientale province have been cruelly tested emotionally, morally and physically. Many sons and daughters of the city who were our relatives and friends have been torn from life in the various convulsions of violence, wars within wars of aggression which the aggressors have inflicted on us.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“This framework can establish the preconditions for national representation confirmed by effective electoral procedures and give the country a national consciousness that will allow it to enjoy democracy without the anarchy that destroys freedoms and in respect for the fundamental freedoms of the citizenry. The comprehensive agreement should soon be adopted formally at the final meeting of the inter- Congolese dialogue. It would send a strong signal to the international community if that meeting were to be held on the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Far from the hotels and palaces of Sun City, Pretoria or Kinshasa, the city of Kisangani, given its weighty symbolism, would be the best place for that meeting.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“The time has come for the Council to say that the deterioration of the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has exceeded the bounds of the acceptable and the tolerable. The Council should seriously address the mass violations of human rights and international humanitarian law that have occurred in my country since the beginning of the aggression. It must also display unanimous and genuine will to achieve progress in the regional peace process and to put an end to the plundering of the country's wealth. In order to do this, it must emphasize the need to consolidate and conclude the peace process under way, particularly through its unreserved support for the comprehensive, inclusive agreement on the political transition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, signed in Pretoria last December.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“If the Security Council had had the political will fully to implement its own resolutions on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we should never have had to deplore the repeated massacres of Congolese civilians. If the Security Council had seriously implemented its own resolutions, certain individuals, actors and parties would not have continued to view the multiple violations of human rights and of international humanitarian law as benign. This feeling of impunity was certainly not lacking in those who committed the atrocities in Ituri, the culmination of a nameless horror that has continued to grow. As stressed in the Proclamation of Teheran adopted at the International Conference on Human Rights in May 1968, aggression and armed conflict constitute massive denials of human rights.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“We should also note that one of the direct causes of the unfortunate human rights situation is the denial of justice. My Government, here in the Security Council and before other bodies, has tirelessly deplored the denial of justice to the thousands of Rwandan victims of genocide and of other serious violations of international humanitarian law and, ultimately, to the millions of Congolese men and women killed in the war of aggression. The demand for justice is an integral part of any lasting peace. It is essential that we address the question of impunity and that we break its vicious circle. In this respect, the message sent by the international community and the Security Council lacked clarity.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“In last year's report on the work of the Organization, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said, inter alia, that "the United Nations role in peace and security remains an essential part of its global responsibilities. Conflict prevention is of critical importance and requires a comprehensive understanding of the underlying causes and dynamics of violent conflict. The Organization's authority as a credible instrument to prevent conflict depends on its capacity to address the root causes of deadly conflict". (A/56/1, para. 6) Moreover, as regards the headlong rush for my country's wealth, the Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo established a link of cause-and-effect between that phenomenon and the pursuit of aggression.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“On every occasion, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has stressed its devotion to human rights and to international humanitarian law, in accordance with its international obligations to respect, promote and protect human rights and to support the consolidation of the rule of law. Moreover, the dissemination of a culture of human rights and the popularization of the basic concepts of international humanitarian law have greatly contributed to the prevention of serious violations in the part of the territory under the Government's control. We are grateful to the High Commissioner for Human Rights and to the Special Rapporteurs for human rights who have recognized that fact in their various reports on the human rights situation in my country.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“The situation of human rights and international humanitarian law in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a source of constant concern to my Government. That is why, in his inaugural speech on 26 January 2001, the Head of State, Major General Joseph Kabila, stressed the need to strengthen the rule of law, to consolidate democracy and good governance, to guarantee human rights and to promote legal and judicial security. Despite the state of war that led to the strengthening of the emergency regime, it should be noted that the Government has striven in all circumstances to preserve the central, untouchable core of human rights.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“Early this year, Ituri made the headlines because of serious events, recalling practices of earlier centuries, that attained such a degree of gravity and horror that certain authoritative voices did not hesitate to describe them as genocidal. No one can ignore the fact that the vast majority of victims are civilians, particularly the most vulnerable among them: women and children. These have been attacked physically and have suffered many humiliations, including repeated rape as a tactic of war, with its corollary, the deliberate spread of HIV/AIDS. We are experiencing a true tragedy, despite the denunciations read in numerous reports published by my Government and heard at countless meetings of the Security Council, the principal organ responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“How can we forget that, on 14 and 15 May 2002, a pogrom was observed by the international community, which did not come to the assistance of the endangered population of Kisangani? The authors of these despicable acts, who were mentioned in the report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in document S/2002/764, still enjoy freedom of movement and some are even preferential interlocutors with the international community. Finally, need I recall Ituri? That much-coveted area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has seen clashes between Lendus and Hemas, two large ethnic groups that have always lived in peace, but who massacred each other at the instigation of the authorities and occupying troops of Uganda.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“I would merely recall the particular horror of Mwenga, where 15 Congolese women were buried alive by Rwandan troops. I would also recall Makobola, in the province of South Kivu, where, from 30 December 1998 to 1 January 1999, more than 600 people were horribly murdered. These massacres join a long list of massacres committed against the peaceful people of the Congo in Kavumu, Kasika, Lubarika, Uvira and elsewhere. How can we forget the protracted martyrdom of the city of Kisangani, where Rwanda and Uganda thrice clashed on the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, bombing populated areas, claiming thousands of innocent victims and destroying most of the infrastructure?”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“This new denunciation of atrocities that revolt the human conscience and that include thousands of murders, infanticides, rapes of women and children, tortures, persecution of those fighting to defend human rights comes after many reports from non- governmental organizations, such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the International Rescue Committee, and also from United Nations organs such as the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - with which the High Commissioner is well acquainted, since he headed it - and also from the European Office for Humanitarian Assistance. Members of the Council know the figures. The number of peaceful Congolese civilians who have been massacred can no longer be counted. There have been many outright acts of barbarism and savagery.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“I thank him and the members of the Council for having denounced the massacres and serious atrocities and serious and flagrant mass violations of human rights and international law, perpetrated with complete impunity by the troops of the Rwandan Patriotic Army and the Ugandan army, and also those armed troops affiliated with them, whether or not they signed the Lusaka Agreement and other, subsequent peace agreements. I hope the Security Council will make it possible for the written report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and also that of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) on the Ituri events, will be made public and distributed as official documents of the Council.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“Jean-Marie Guehenno, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, for his important and precise briefing on the general situation prevailing at this time on the ground. I hope that in two weeks time, when he reports to the Council again, we will have encouraging information which will help the peace process in my country make further progress. I would also like to pay well-deserved tribute to Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello, High Commissioner for Human Rights, for his report to the Council.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“Mr. Ileka (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (spoke in French): Allow me first of all to say how pleased I am, Mr. President, to see you leading the Security Council during this month of February. I am certain you will discharge your noble mission with dedication and success. Allow me also to congratulate your predecessor, the representative of France, for the skill and competence with which he discharged his weighty task during his presidency for the previous month. I am grateful to you, Mr. President, for your excellent initiative in convening this important meeting of the Security Council, which has allowed us to hear two statements on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I would also like to thank Mr.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“Investing in children today will ensure peace, stability, security, democracy and sustainable development for present and future generations.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684Resumption1 (2003) · source
“If that unimaginable barbaric savagery turns out to be true, my Government would ask the Security Council to take against the alleged perpetrators, authors and those responsible all measures authorized under the Charter of the United Nations in order to stop those atrocities and crimes, which now fall within the purview of the International Criminal Court. In conclusion, my Government appeals to all our international, regional and subregional partners to help us carry out our programme to promote and to protect the rights of children. There is an urgent need to renew international commitments to make children a priority so that we do not waste the most precious human resource in the world and to build a stable and productive society. The future of the Democratic Republic of the Congo lies in the well-being of its children.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684Resumption1 (2003) · source
“My Government is shocked at the allegations made by representatives of the Catholic Church and non-governmental organizations for the defence of human rights alleging acts of cannibalism by soldiers of the MLC and the RCD-N, principally and specifically targeting pygmy populations and the Nande people. My Government awaits the conclusions of the investigation carried out by the United Nations and hopes that those conclusions will be made public so that light will be shed on that indescribable act of terror and those dreadful events.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684Resumption1 (2003) · source
“My Government expresses its dismay at information reporting widespread cases of looting and mass rape of women and girls and summary and extrajudicial executions perpetrated by the Mouvement pour le liberation du Congo (MLC) and its ally, the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie-National (RCD-N), as well as by the UPC. My Government is scandalized by the discovery of mass graves in Mambasa, where violent clashes continue between, on the one side, the troops of the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie - Mouvement de liberation (RCD-ML) and on the other, the troops of the RCD-N, in coalition with the MLC.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684Resumption1 (2003) · source
“Those two countries, after signing agreements with my country, were quick to incite new rebellions and create new warlords. Uganda created the Union des patriotes congolais (UPC) - headed by Mr. Thomas Lubanga, a notorious hostage- taker and known criminal - which is not a signatory of the Pretoria Agreement. For its part, Rwanda has given the present Governor of Nord-Kivu, Mr. Serufuli, responsibility for leading a militia of almost 20,000 men, essentially Hutus released from the prisons of Rwanda by the Kigali Government, with the mission of sowing terror, looting and committing massacres among the civilian population.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684Resumption1 (2003) · source
“My delegation wishes to express my Government's concern at the events currently taking place in the east, in Uvira, and further north, in Beni, Mambasa, Bunia, Kilo, Mongwalu and Mahagi. A major humanitarian crisis has been created, especially due to the forced displacement of thousands of people, which has been confirmed by MONUC. Purely commercial reasons are at the base of this upsurge in tension, in which, through opposing Congolese factions, Ugandan generals and Rwandan businessmen equally attempt to gain control of the goldmines of Kilo-Moto and of the Mongwalu area. My Government denounces the delaying tactics employed by Rwanda and Uganda, as well as their manoeuvring to prolong the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684Resumption1 (2003) · source
“For children, this war has brought a succession of miseries, of which they are the first victims. Thousands of them survive, marginalized throughout the country, cut off from society and their own families, living in the streets alone or in groups, sexually exploited and abused, breaking the law, without protection or future. This war of aggression has also led to the forced, brutal and tragic displacement of populations within the borders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and has forced many Congolese into exile in neighbouring countries. It has also encouraged all kinds of violations of fundamental human rights, particularly those related to the physical integrity of women and children.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684Resumption1 (2003) · source
“But given the proliferation of armed groups and their dispersion, and given the size of our national territory, one might question their effectiveness and advocate a substantial increase in the number of their personnel within MONUC so that they can be more effective. The international community is also called on to help the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the implementation by the Government and the future transition authorities of the relevant recommendations made by the delegates to the inter-Congolese dialogue. The war of aggression that has raged in my country for four years now, in violation of the United Nations Charter, has not only given rise to the phenomenon of child soldiers, whose forced recruitment continues in the occupied provinces.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684Resumption1 (2003) · source
“Of that amount, 200,000 euros are immediately available for a programme to return to civilian life foreign ex-combatants located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. France's contribution, following a contribution of 2 million euros to the funds of the World Bank, gives France the leading rank in support for the disarmament, demobilization, repatriation, resettlement and reintegration programme of United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC). That will greatly assist the return of foreign ex-combatants - including the child soldiers among them - to their countries of origin and their families and homes. Furthermore, implementing the relevant provisions of resolutions 1314 (2000) and 1379 (2001), MONUC has established child protection units.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684Resumption1 (2003) · source
“It is important that steps be taken not only immediately but also through the implementation of chapter VI of the comprehensive, inclusive agreement on the transition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, relating to the training of our national army. We must all take concrete action very quickly. Paragraph 55 of the report of the Secretary-General under consideration (S/2002/ 1299) mentions a commitment by the World Bank and donor countries to support a regional multi-country demobilization and reintegration programme for the entire Great Lakes region. To us, such a commitment still seems to be a long way off. Last Thursday, France made 1 million euros available to the United Nations Development Programme.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684Resumption1 (2003) · source
“When one takes into account the fact that serious acts of banditry, particularly in Kinshasa, are being carried out by armed young people, one has to wonder about the wisdom of launching these young people into the world without any financial incentives or viable possibilities to reintegrate into society, especially as we are dealing with young people in their prime who know how to handle weapons. This phenomenon represents a time bomb for the entire Congolese society, as well as a real problem that the United Nations is tackling very timidly and one that the Government alone cannot address due to a lack of funds.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684Resumption1 (2003) · source
“Nevertheless - pursuant to the relevant provisions of resolution 1261 (1999) of 25 August 1999, in which the Security Council called upon States and the relevant parts of the United Nations system to intensify their efforts to end the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict - I would like to reaffirm to the Council that the Democratic Republic of the Congo has ended the enlistment of children in the Congolese armed forces. That is in contrast to the behaviour of the armed groups that hold sway in occupied provinces, which continue to employ child soldiers in the theatre of military operations. A process of demobilization for child soldiers is now taking place under the supervision of BUNADER and UNICEF. However, the future of those soldiers continues to be of major concern and to pose an immense problem.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684Resumption1 (2003) · source