Security Council votes to authorize the deployment of an
intervention force to target armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). UN Photo/JC McIlwaine |
The intervention brigade will carry out targeted offensive
operations, with or without the Congolese national army, against armed groups
that threaten peace in the eastern part of DRC – a region that is prone to
cycles of violence and consequent humanitarian suffering.
The objectives of the new force – which will be based in
North Kivu province in eastern DRC and total 3,069 peacekeepers – are to
neutralize armed groups, reduce the threat they posed to State authority and
civilian security and make space for stabilization activities.
The brigade is established within the UN Organisation
Stabilisation Mission in DRC (MONUSCO) for an initial period of one year, as
set out in the resolution adopted unanimously today by the Council, which also
extended the mission until 31 March 2014.
Resolution 2098 also provides a new mandate for MONUSCO, by
which it will support Congolese authorities to protect civilians, neutralize
armed groups, and implement key reforms to consolidate peace in the country,
particularly in the area of security sector reform and rule of law.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the resolution,
“which sets out a new, comprehensive approach aimed at addressing the root
causes of instability in the eastern DRC and the Great Lakes region,” his
spokesperson said in a statement.
“He remains personally committed to helping bring peace and
stability to the people of the DRC and the Great Lakes region and will keep
working to ensure this remains a top priority for the international community,”
the statement added.
Also hailing the resolution was Under-Secretary-General for
Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous, who told reporters that the text
reflected the shared desire of the international community to comprehensively
address the root causes of the terrible cycle of violence witnessed in the DRC
over nearly two decades.
The newly-authorized brigade is designed to further support
the political objectives of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for
the DRC and the region – a peace deal signed last month in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia.