Violence Against Women
Source: Xinhuanet
The UN Security Council on Wednesday agreed to prolong the presence of UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for a year.
The Council unanimously adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) until June 30, 2013.
"Protection of civilians must be given priority," said resolution 2053, encouraging further the use of "innovative measures" implemented by MONUSCO in the protection of civilians.
However, the resolution stressed that while protection of civilians remains MONUSCO's priority, security sector reform should be the "primary focus" within the stabilization and peace consolidation mandate of the Mission.
As the Council members did acknowledge the positive developments toward the achievement of peace in DRC, they noted that challenges still remain. Human rights violations, particularly violence against women and children, and the recruitment of children as soldiers continue to be serious issues faced by the government of the DRC.
Therefore, the Council demanded all armed groups "immediately cease all forms of violence and human rights abuses against the civilian population..in particular against women and children, including rape and other forms of sexual abuse and child recruitment, and demobilize," said the resolution.
The resolution also urged the government of the DRC to ensure that the provincial and local elections, which are due to be held in 2013, will be conducted "in a timely, credible, peaceful and transparent manner."
Moreover, the Council encouraged "the government to promote non-military solutions as an integral part of the overall solution for reducing the threat posed by Congolese and foreign armed groups, and to restore full State Authority," according to the resolution.
In July 1999, the Security Council established the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), initially to plan for the observation of the ceasefire and disengagement of forces and maintain liaison with all parties to the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement. Later in a series of resolutions, the Council expanded the mandate of MONUC to the supervision of the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement and assigned multiple related additional tasks. MONUSCO took over from MONUC on July 1, 2010 to reflect the new phase reached in the country.