afrol News, 10 July - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for enhanced peace process in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and strengthening lawful government bodies in Congolese Kivu region.

Mr Ban has in latest report of United Nations peacekeeping mission in the country (MONUC) said though progress in the region is visible and unfolding, it should be accelerated if Africa was to bring stability to war torn DRC.

He noted that national and provincial assemblies are operating, despite contending with serious deficiency of resources and capacity, and urged national authorities to ensure that provincial and local polls are held in a timely manner.

MONUC report further said success of the Goma Agreement, signed by government and various armed groups, and the Nairobi process, under which DRC and Rwanda have agreed to work together against threats to peace and stability in the region, depends on the sustained political engagement of all parties.

Mr Ban urged government and armed groups to take advantage of Amani Program, the mixed technical commission on peace and security in the Kivus to build confidence amongst themselves and to tackle issue of refugees and internally displaced persons.

He also cautioned that lack of progress on key issues as well as recent stepped-up tensions threaten to derail the Goma process, which was initially intended to bring peace in the eastern region.

MONUC report said while ceasefire has largely being held, recent clashes are a growing source of concern in the region along with continued recruitment by armed groups.

With the growing instability, Mr Ban views measures to boost security, stability and legitimate state authority in the east, as the establishment of a professional, capable and accountable national armed forces.

Mr Ban further expressed concern over risks to regional security posed by Ugandan rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), which he said has restarted its abductions and attacks on civilians along DRC/southern Sudan/Central African Republic (CAR) border.

“The door should remain open for a political solution and I urge LRA to sign the final peace agreement without any further delay,” Mr Ban urged.

LRA leader Joseph Kony has failed to sign a comprehensive peace deal with Uganda that was mediated by government of Southern Sudan that his representatives had earlier initialed.

While MONUC will continue to work with DRC to protect civilians, he warned that the mission is “severely overstretched and faces growing demands with regard to support for the Nairobi and Goma processes,” thus requiring enhanced capacity to increase its forces, he stated.

MONUC comprises over 18,000 uniformed personnel, including more than 16,000 troops, nearly 700 military observers and 1,000 police.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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