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UN Approves Force Deployment in Congo

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By Ranjan Roy

Associated Press
May 30, 2003

The U.N. Security Council on Friday authorized the deployment of a French-led international force in northeastern Congo, where ethnic fighting has killed nearly 400 people.


The authorization to send peacekeeping troops to the Ituri region around Bunia comes after more than two weeks of negotiations during which the United States and other council nations worked to meet French conditions regarding a force. The most difficult obstacle, diplomats said, was getting approval from Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Council diplomats said Kagame initially opposed French participation.

Uganda and Rwanda and their Congolese rebel allies held eastern Congo during a civil war that began in 1998 and has killed 3.3 million people, by aid groups' count, mostly through famine and disease exacerbated by the war. The Ugandan and Rwandan armies and those of Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia have withdrawn from Congo under a series of peace deals. Rebels and the government signed a power-sharing deal in December, but eastern Congo remains one of the bloodiest battle zones.

France sought U.N. approval for the force after U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan asked France to take over by September from 700 Uruguayan troops. The crisis began on May 7, when Uganda withdrew its more than 6,000 troops from Bunia as part of a U.N.-brokered peace accord. Rival Lendu and Hema tribal groups fought for control of the town in street battles and U.N. officials said nearly 400 bodies have been found. The rebel Union of Congolese Patriots, made up of fighters from the Hema minority who now control Bunia.

The international force to be deployed in northeastern Congo will be made up of 1,400 troops, half of them French, France's Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said. The minister said in remarks made public Friday that the intervention, under the auspices of the United Nations, had also received troop pledges "in principle" from Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy and Britain. Canada and South Africa have also made troops available if needed.

The United States also is keen to have international troops on the ground quickly in Congo. "We think the rapid deployment of such a force is critical to stabilizing the region and in so doing allowing the ongoing political process to move forward," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said on Thursday. "We would certainly consider requests for logistical or financial assistance from states that are part of the multinational force but we are not planning any U.S. personnel at this point to take part," he said.


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FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Global Policy Forum distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.