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UN Urges President Museveni to Help in DR-Congo

New Vision (Kampala)
NEWS
June 16, 2003
Posted to the web June 16, 2003

By Alfred Wasike
Kampala
The UN Security Council has appealed to President Yoweri Museveni to use his
regional influence to calm the troubled DR Congo's Ituri region.
Addressing a press conference in Entebbe yesterday, the French envoy to the UN,
Jean-Marc Dela Sabliere, said, "We are very grateful to President Museveni and
Uganda for providing excellent facilities to our multi-national force. But we
appeal to him to use his influence to help stabilise the situation in this part
of the Congo. We need absolute peace in that area."
Sabliere was leading a 15-member team of UN Security Council Ambassadors, from
the US, Britain, China, Russia, Pakistan, Cameroun, Chile, Germany, Syria,
Bulgaria, Spain, Angola, Guinea and Mexico.
Their mission was to ensure the implementation of the Lusaka Accord through the
establishment of the transitional government of the DR Congo, the pacification
of Ituri and to oversee the transition in Burundi.
Museveni, who had just returned from a four-day state visit to the US, said,
"Uganda is very much relieved by the deployment of the UN multi-national force
in Ituri. We have heard that there are some problems in a place called Mahagi,
about 100 miles north of Bunia. But the problem here is the non-synchronised
view of the situation."
Sabliere said, "A lot will depend on the leaders in the region. We have also
asked Rwanda to use their influence. This is a global strategy."
On whether the multi-national force is robust enough to keep peace, Sabliere
said, "The force in Bunia will do the job. Other EU forces are coming to join,
there are others like South African forces coming to join."
Meanwhile, Emmy Allio reports that at least 80 people were massacred and 400
taken captive on June 10, when Lendu militiamen raided Nyoka village in Mahagi
in Congo's Ituri region, religious groups said yesterday.
The victims were from the Alur tribe, traditional allies of the Lendu ethnic
group. Nyoka is about 50km from the Uganda border.
Moi, the commander of the Congolese people Armed Forces (FAPC), said 77 bodies
of mostly women and children were seen in the three villages.
"The attackers are unruly group of Lendu militia from Djingu. They took
advantage of the withdrawal of the FAPC forces from Nyoka," Moi said on
telephone.
He said the attackers took over 400 boys and girls captive.
Earlier, Congolese religious leaders now living in Paidha in Nebbi district had
said they feared that over 400 were killed by the Lendu who have fought for
years with the Hema ethnic tribe over land.

   

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