ReliefWeb

The leaders involved in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have all pledged to stick to the peace agreement, though other difficulties remain, a top United Nations peacekeeping official told the Security Council today.
The Security Council met in closed consultations to hear a briefing by the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Bernard Miyet on his recent trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the wider Great Lakes region.

According to UN Spokesman Fred Eckhard, Mr. Miyet told the Council that all of the Heads of State and senior officials whom he had met during his visit pledged to adhere to the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement and to comply with Security Council resolutions.

However, the spokesman said that Mr. Miyet had noted several problems, including the outbreak of serious fighting in the DRC, particularly in the Kasai Province, where the parties were demonstrably not adhering to the ceasefire.

Mr. Miyet also warned of the need for freedom of movement of the expanded UN mission that is to be deployed in the coming months, but added that the Mission would continue to carry out logistical preparations for its wider deployment, Mr. Eckhard said.

In a press statement issued after the meeting, the President of the Security Council, Ambassador Anwarul Karim Chowdhury of Bangladesh, said Council members expressed serious concern about the violations of the Lusaka agreement and demanded once again that all parties immediately stop the hostilities and respect their commitment to the ceasefire accord.