DR CONGO

Doss: "The international community should not forget the DRC" - GETTY IMAGES

Alan Doss, veteran UN trouble-shooter and Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for DR Congo and head of MONUC, talks to Africa Today's Bunmi Akpata-Ohohe on the challenge of keeping the peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

A report by United Nations experts has concluded that the rebellion in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is worsening and branded the world's biggest UN peacekeeping mission in the country a failure. The report said there has been an upsurge in violence, murders and rapes despite the UN joining the Congolese army to fight the rebels. The 25,000-strong UN security force, known by the French acronym MONUC is the biggest UN peacekeeping mission in the world with a budget of $1.3 billion a year, but has proved unable to defeat the Rwandan Hutu rebels or halt the plunder of minerals in eastern Congo, according to the report.

The Rwandan rebels, known as The Forces Democratic pour la Liberation du Rwanda (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda) (FDLR), were born out of the exodus from Rwanda following the 1994 genocide. Some of the rebel leaders who helped to coordinate the Rwandan brutalities continue to make millions of dollars in revenues from trafficked gold and other minerals.

The experts' report also found that extremist networks in Europe are providing financial and operational support to Rwandan Hutu militias responsible for a torrent of alleged war crimes in the DRC, thereby prolonging the conflict. The UN report calls for member states to take tough measures to dismantle the Diaspora networks in such places as in the United States and Europe that help to sustain the conflict through fund-raising, propaganda and money-laundering activities.

So what more can be done to end the violence and bring about that elusive peace? Africa Today put this and other questions to the United Nations Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of the Congo Alan Doss during his recent visit to London.

Africa Today: How would describe the current state of affairs in the eastern DRC; hopeless or near hopeless?

Doss: The eastern region is a very big place, so it varies from one province to another; from one district to another. So it is difficult to generalise but I would certainly say that there are still serious problems especially in north and south Kivu with the operations against the ex-Intrahawe and the FDLR, but the situation in districts like Ituri today is much better than it was, though there's still residual activities by some militia groups. And the situation also in Orientale and Basewele where the LRA were operating seems to have improved compared to ten years ago. We'll see whether that improvement is sustained or not? So over-all I would say in eastern Congo there has been significant improvement certainly compared to two or three years ago. So hopeless or near hopeless cannot begin to describe the situation, while I will be in agreement that there's still plenty of work to be done. Our Mandate is to keep the doors open, sustain the improvement we have achieved with returning the internally displaced persons back to their communities.

Africa Today: Are you satisfied with the 3,000 peacekeepers approved by the UN 12 months ago? You have in recent past complained about shortages of peacekeepers, armoury, trucks and helicopters, does the mission now have the resources it needs to do the job on the ground and do you have any hope that the European Union will eventually see things your way and contribute more troops, jumbo jet and other resources?

Doss: Ten years on we have seen significant progress in the DRC that once had four governments running side-by-side. No peacekeeping mission is ever to be expected to have everything it wants. In spite of this, MONUC is making most of what we have on the ground. A lot of people might see 3,000 peacekeepers like too many but you have to understand that the DRC is five times the area of the UK, so to cover the entire length and breadth of the conflict area is a titanic undertaking. The additional troops are on their way. What we need most urgently are some additional technical capacities. We still do not have the helicopters and the information gathering capabilities that we requested last year. We need another 16 or 17 helicopters. Where will that come from? Well I am not sure at this point. As for the EU, we are not expecting a jumbo jet. (Laughs) However, Europe has a leading role to play in DRC. We presently have EU staff officers and specialised units but we'll welcome a broader range and it wouldn't be idle to see EU forces, as a part of MONUC mission sooner rather than later and that is no laughing matter. Most of our troops are from Africa and Asia and Latin America.

Africa Today: What more is there for the UN to say to the warring armed groups ripping the DRC apart that would make a difference and bring peace to the lives of the long suffering people in eastern Congo, because, as research shows, present policies are unlikely to accomplish much?

Doss: First of all we have to disarm the armed groups and disciplined them. When you say warring factions we are talking of a lot of different armed groups. In north Kivu we still have armed groups that are not yet completely integrated into the national army and we need to disarm all groups to integrate them. But the biggest concern of course is the operations against the FDLR. We have made some progress in removing the FDLR from their former stronghold, but it has not yet completely solved the FDLR problem. Yes there are grievances against the government say the rebels but I do not see how continuous fighting and reprisal attacks will improve the situation. But we'll not give up. So we'll keep pressing on the FDLR and indeed on other rebel groups to give up their arms. There's real prospect of peace in the DRC after years of conflict. Cessation of conflict is the only way out to enable stabilisation programmes like roads, hospitals, and justice system and labour intensive public works to take place. There's still a long way to go but we should not despair.

Africa Today: There has been much focus and rightly so on human rights abuses - sexual violence on women and children. Sometimes fathers are raped and murdered in front of their families by the FDLR and the LRA and now we have disturbing allegations of Congo's national army involvement in sexual exploitation and deliberately killing civilians. And this is from people sent to protect them!

Doss: The media attention given to violence in eastern DRC is a good thing. However, you in the media should understand and note that violence on civilians by rebel groups has increased in some district and it has been reduced in others. But in the first place you have to deal with the raw fact that rebels groups are under pressure, they operate outside the law and unfortunately civilians are paying a price as they always do when these groups descend upon local communities. We are certainly very conscious of this and MONUC and the UN as a whole have a strategy on how to deal with the problem, including an effort to strengthen the national army. The FDLR forces are responsible for most of the violence against civilians in the east. They survive on the backs of defenceless civilians and stripping Congo of its mineral assets. What we need to do is to dismantle the groups and get a grip of the situation or else sadly the violence inflicted by the FDLR and LRA will not stop.

Africa Today: How about the growing indiscipline in the Congolese national army? It is said that the Congolese army has factions within it operating effectively as separate militia. How about that?

Doss: Yes, there's indiscipline. Now, after reports linking them to several atrocities, including clearly targeted attacks on civilians by certain units of the army, the UN will be suspending support for the Congolese national army until further investigation. But the real medicine is to layout a national plan for the security forces. They have to be properly disciplined and made accountable and we need to keep pressing the government to remove notorious offenders from the army. The simple fact is the government must improve conditions for the troops in the field. This means a systematic effort to improve conditions of service in the barracks, regular wages paid in full and soldiers' grievances handled with urgency. The justice system has to be seen to function well. MONUC is working hard to accomplish this but it will not be achieved overnight. It will require sustained and well-coordinated support from the international community to help Congo deal with the emergency and fund the necessary improvement that can help the army stay on the straight and narrow.

Africa Today: We have to talk about the scandalous conduct of UN peacekeepers as it makes a mockery of the UN Mission. At least 5,387 cases of rape against women were reported in south Kivu in the first six months of 2009. Now, our job is to shine a bright light on anything that is perceived as an insider dealing. What is the Mission doing about these allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by its own peacekeepers? And what do you say to a report in the New York Times of August 5 2009, that MONUC personnel had sexually abused a 12-year-old boy?

Doss: Yes, there's been what you referred to as insider dealings if I may use your words. But what you are saying is a small number of allegations made against MONUC. Overall allegations against peacekeepers have decreased and not all of these allegations have been substantiated. It is not a customary occurrence. On the other hand, I hasten to add, even one allegation against MONUC is one too many. On average more than 30,000 or so people serve as peacekeepers in the course of one year and there were 38 sexual exploitation cases made in 2008. MONUC follows up on all allegations of any sexual exploits; the autonomous UN Office of Internal Oversight (OIOS) carries out investigations, and does not report to MONUC. Some of these allegations are quite spurious to be honest with you. On the NYT article there just was not enough to go with. And if there was one, unfortunately it was not mentioned in the article as to when or where that offence was alleged to have occurred. Nothing of the NYT was reported to the Mission. We are very mindful of our responsibility. That is why we do a lot of training for our police and civilian staff. We have made it known that we do not support our staff frequenting prostitutes because this can compromise our position and it is a punishable offence. We send people home for that.

Africa Today: With all these problems, how can you say that there's real prospect of peace in the DRC? Are you not in danger of being overwhelmingly positive ... bordering on delusion of grandeur?

Doss: You have no idea. With all due respect I reject in large measure that my apparition is grandiose. There's been a history of frustration; however, we have something here - disarming the rebels and resettlement of IDPs. We are looking at all type of measures to bring pressure to bear on the rebels to give up arms. Nobody said it was going to be easy. If you go back 10 years ago and compare with what we have today - I tell you there's been progress, but we recognise that the job is not yet done. The international community should not ignore the DRC.