DRC: the sustainable stabilisation of the country will require engagement from all [fr]

Thank you, Mr President.

I also thank Special Representative Leila Zerrougui for her intervention. And I would like to stress three points:

Firstly, the persistence of security challenges in the east of the country.

We condemn recurrent attacks against civilians and against armed forces in the Kivus and Ituri. In Ituri, incidents in the past week have left a dozen people dead.

It is imperative to put an end to the illegal exploitation of natural resources and to resolve inter-community tensions by strengthening the presence of the State to break the cycle of violence.

In these provinces, MONUSCO must focus its action not only on protecting civilians but also on stabilising and supporting Congolese institutions. There too, disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration efforts, including those of the FRPI group, need to be completed.

Since violence is perpetrated by both domestic and foreign armed groups, regional cooperation must be strengthened. In this regard, I welcome the initiatives of President Tshisekedi. The United Nations strategy for the Great Lakes region must produce concrete results in favour of political stability and peace.

This brings me to my second point.

On the humanitarian front, the end of the eleventh Ebola epidemic in the west of the DRC is a success for the Congolese government and the partners who contributed to it, in particular the WHO.

But violations of international humanitarian law remain a cause for concern. Food insecurity is worsening. It is essential to ensure humanitarian access to all populations in need and that civilians, particularly children and women, are protected. Attacks against humanitarian personnel must cease. It is essential that Human Rights are respected. The fight against the COVID-19 pandemic does not justify the violation of these rights. We must also support the country to counter the economic and social consequences of this health crisis.

Furthermore, strengthening the fight against impunity, transitional justice and inter-community reconciliation are all conditions for sustainable peace.

Finally, and this is my third point, the Security Council must accompany MONUSCO’s transition.

The joint strategy presented by MONUSCO and the DRC sets a clear course: to concentrate the Mission where the situation is most unstable and to pursue the consolidation of the State and its institutions. This strategy lays the groundwork for the transfer of tasks from MONUSCO to the Congolese authorities and to the country team. This transition must, of course, be progressive and sequenced.

The sustainable stabilisation of the country will still require efforts and engagement from all. I am thinking of justice and security sector reform, but also of development programmes. On all of these issues, the full participation of women will be a crucial challenge. The DRC knows that it can count on France’s support to achieve this.

As this Council prepares to renew MONUSCO’s mandate, I would like to pay tribute to its personnel who operate in an unstable environment in which they are often targets. In this context, MONUSCO must be able to reach its full operational capacity, which will require the implementation of the reconfiguration of the Force Intervention Brigade. Discussions are ongoing between contributing States and the Secretariat. They should make it possible to operationalize, as soon as possible, the decisions taken by the Security Council.

Mr. President,

The Democratic Republic of Congo and the United Nations are laying the foundations for a renewed partnership. It is up to us to accompany them on the road to lasting peace.

I thank you.