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United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Mission of the United Nations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), abbreviated MONUC (a French acronym for Mission de l' Organisation des Nations Unies en République démocratique du Congo) is a United Nations peacekeeping force established on February 24, 2000, by Resolution 1291 of the United Nations Security Council to monitor the peace process of the Second Congo War, though much of its focus subsequently turned to the conflict in the Ituri. The initial UN presence in the Congo, before the passing of Resolution 1291, was a force of military observers to observe and report on the compliance on factions with the peace accords, a deployment authorised by the earlier Resolution 1258 (1999).[1]
The headquarters of the mission are in Kinshasa, DRC. The mission views the DRC as consisting of 6 sectors, each with its own staff headquarters. In 2005-6 the Eastern Division however was formed at Kisangani and took over brigades in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri, along with two or three of the Sector HQs. The approved budget for MONUC, from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008, is US$1,166.72 million, the largest for any current UN peacekeeping operation.
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In July 2004 there were 10,531 UN soldiers under MONUC's command. On October 1, 2004, the UN Security Council decided to deploy 5,900 more soldiers to Congo, although UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had asked for some 12,000.
On 25 February 2005, nine Bangladeshi peacekeepers were killed by members of the Nationalist and Integrationist Front militia in Ituri province. The FNI killed another Nepali peacekeeper and took seven captive in May 2006. Two of the seven were released in late June and the UN was trying to secure the release of the remaining five.[2] In total, 112 members of MONUC have been killed since its establishment. [3] By November 2005, MONUC consisted of 16,561 uniformed troops. MONUC's mandate has been extended to September 30, 2006. On July 30, 2006, MONUC forces were charged with keeping the 2006 general election —the first multiparty election in the DRC since 1960— peaceful and orderly. MONUC troops began patrolling areas of eastern DRC after armed clashes broke on August 5 following the chaotic collection of election results.
Total strength, on 30 August 2007 was 18,275 uniformed personnel, including 16,640 troops, 644 military observers, 991 police, who were supported by 943 international civilian personnel, 2,048 local civilian staff and 553 United Nations Volunteers.
The UN has recorded a total of 112 fatalities among MONUC personnel, up to the end of 2006, as follows: 74 military personnel, 9 military observers, 2 UN police, 10 international civilian, and 17 local civilian.
- MONUC HQ: Kinshasa
- Sector 1: Mbandaka
- Sector 2 and Eastern Division HQ: Kisangani
- Sector 3: Kananga
- Sector 4: Kalemie
- Sector 5: Kindu
- Sector 6: Bunia
Military: 16,640 troops (nearly 10,000 from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, South Africa and Uruguay) and 644 military observers, from 49 countries.
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Civilian Police (CIVPOL): 320, from 20 countries:
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International civilian employees and volunteers, and DRC nationals: 2,636
- International Employees: 816
- United Nations Volunteers: 482
- DRC nationals: 1,338
The BBC alleges that in 2005, the Pakistani MONUC peacekeepers in Mongbwalu entered in a trading relationship for gold with Nationalist and Integrationist Front militia leaders, eventually drawing Congolese army officers and Indian traders from Kenya into the deal. It is further alleged that these peacekeepers returned weapons taken from the FNI as part of demobilization efforts to FNI leaders known for human rights violations.[4]
- Tim Butcher: Blood River - A Journey To Africa's Broken Heart, 2007. ISBN 0-701-17981-3