Statement by the Deputy Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, Ambassador João Genésio de Almeida Filho, at the UNSC on MONUSCO - March 29th, 2023
Thank you Mister President,
Mister President,
I also thank SRSG Bintou Keita for her insightful briefing. I also thank her for her full support during the Council’s visit to Kinshasa and Goma.
I welcome to this meeting the Delegations of Burindi, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.
Mister President,
This is the first Council meeting on MONUSCO since our visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. After a hiatus of more than four years, it was high time to listen to the people on the field in order to get a better grasp of the enormity of the crisis facing that country. I thank the Mozambican Presidency, as well as the Permanent Representatives of France and Gabon for the timely initiatives.
Mister President,
Needless to repeat how large and varied a country the DRC is. Needless to insist on how the bustling streets of Kinshasa seem far away from the mountains and lakes in the East. The reality that the Council’s mission encountered in that whole country is indirectly or directly affected by the conflict in the Eastern provinces. Conflict not only destroys lives and livelihoods, but it also drains resources that could be used for development and social investments. Above all, conflict prevents the DRC from fully tapping into its human and natural resources.
Naturally, the impact is greater in the areas where illegal armed groups operate, such North and South Kivu and Ituri. The Security Council mission witnessed the distress and despair of thousands of people displaced by the M-23. Brazil reiterates this Council`s call for all armed groups to lay down their arms and disband. Furthermore, all external support to illegal armed groups in the DRC must stop.
Mister President,
Tackling insecurity in its own territory and protecting its populations is primarily a responsibility of the Congolese authorities. But the international community can support – and has supported for years – those efforts. During our visit to the DRC, we have witnessed the work of MONUSCO and UN agencies on the ground. We stood witness to the dedication and professionalism of people from many different nationalities and backgrounds who work under hard circumstances.
We remind the host country’s responsibility to ensure a safe environment for peacekeepers. We particularly call for an end to misinformation and disinformation directed against UN presence, which can directly lead to acts of violence against blue helmets and blue berets and to restrictions to their freedom of movement, without which it is impossible for them to adequately fulfill their mandate.
This is not to reject out of hand any criticism of the UN or of MONUSCO. Rather on the contrary, the Security Council has visited the DRC precisely to hear what more can be done for the country. And from what we have heard and have seen, it is clear that we cannot deal with the crisis in the Eastern part of the country in a “business as usual manner”.
In this regard, I am glad to say that the new force commander of MONUSCO, General Miranda, has already started on his new functions. At the same time, we have taken note of the arrival of new contingents of the Eastern African Community regional forces. The constant diplomatic efforts of DRC’s neighbors in the Nairobi and the Luanda Processes deserve the full support of the international community.
Those positive developments must not, however, make us overlook the worrying trend of rising tensions between the DRC and Rwanda. We urge both parties to refrain from any acts that may exacerbate tensions and to commit to peaceful dialogue as a means of resolving differences between them, including in the framework of the Luanda Process.
After 30 years of UN presence, MONUSCO’s transition cannot be postponed indefinitely. But neither can it be rushed. The mission’s departure without meeting the benchmarks in the transition plan would bring even more hardship to the people in the Eastern DRC. I have in mind in particular the priority benchmarks of the transition plan discussed by mission and the DRC government representatives in the joint working-group on transition.
As preparations for the upcoming elections gather pace, the concerns of opposition parties must be addressed in accordance to the law. We hope that the elections will take place in orderly and timely manner. May they set a new milestone towards a more stable and more prosperous future to the people of the DRC.
And I thank you.