Leaked U.S. Concept Note describes the wished changes in the UN Peacekeeping Operation Missions!

The United States delegation to the United Nations have leaked a document on planned discussion for the United Nations Security Council that are to be commenced in next month (April 2017). These notes are clearly setting the course and wish for the goals and ambition of the discussion in the UNSC. This concept note is supposed to be a Peacekeeping Operation Review. That would lead to certain decisions by the Member States and the Council Members.

The reason why the United States delegation to the UNSC about the Peacekeeping operation:

As of January 31, 2017, there were 99,034 uniformed personnel – including 85,408 troops and 12,786 police – serving in the 16 peacekeeping operations overseen by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, with an approved budget of $7.87 billion. UN peacekeeping is a vital aspect of the organization. However, a significant number of PKOs have mandates conceived years – in some cases decades – ago that are no longer supported by a political environment conducive to achieving the Council’s aims. It is crucial that missions contribute to increased safety and security, but they can also create a subsidized and unsteady peace that can quickly become a dependency that discourages long-term solutions. The UN becomes trapped in these frozen conflicts and peacekeeping missions that were initially conceived to provide temporary security to allow space for political solutions to take hold instead deploy for years without clear mandates or exit plans”.

Because of the cost, the longevity of the peacekeeping operations as they are creating a vacuum between the government hosts, the peacekeeping mission and the hostile forces. This is a consuming and makes it hard to generate any sort of sustainable peace, as the peacekeepers keeps a buffer and stops the need for a strong foundation of central government and their own security forces. They can always trust on the Blue Helmets to appear when needed and serve the citizens.

The United States has certainly ideas as this is their core idea for the discussion in the UNSC: “We encourage Council Members to consider whether current peacekeeping operations continue to be the best suited mechanisms for meeting the needs of those on the ground and achieving the Council’s political objectives, or if changes are needed”. So the US Mission to the UN wants the Peacekeeping Operations to achieve the political objectives and not be a stalemate operation that keeps the upkeep of unstability and uncertainty in the host nation. That is certainly a noble quest, but with that the UN Peacekeepers need to revise their missions, their mandate and their will of force, as their peacekeeping missions has been done in such diplomatic ways.

The United States delegates outcome of the review:

While no product is envisioned, we encourage the Council to apply the lessons and methods discussed in this meeting to our regular mandate review process to ensure that conditions still justify the missions and that political processes conceivably lead towards realistic, achievable solutions”.

That this is a quest and wishful thinking for the US mission, the United Nation needs votes and make sure the Members would strike agreement on the possible idea of changing the Peacekeeping Operations. The Blue Helmets are clearly on the loosing end of the stick, as their missions are not seen as fruitful, more like a costly operations not creating the effect and stage the peaceful transition in the host nations.

The UNSC and the Members should be hopeful to change the political climate and use the force to create the peace they are to make. If they weren’t peacekeepers than they wouldn’t be an issue, as if they we’re regular army on a territory, they should keep their citizens safe and the borders. The Peacekeepers has a mandate and mission, still they haven’t always been able to comply with that. Also, they have obligations not only to the United Nations, but to the host nations regime. Therefore, if the UNSC wants a bigger mission or extend their mandate, they still have to negotiate with the host nations.

The US Mission and the UNSC have to work on it and it is about time, as the AMISOM, MUNISCO, UNAMID, UNMISS and MINUSMA, who all should need a change of mandate and level of force if they should be properly creating the peace and make way for the central government. Peace.

DRC: Time to care about the mass graves in the Kasai-Oriental Province!

There is an ongoing civil-war inside the Kasai-Oriental, a region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, there has been battles between rebels, militias and foreign mercenaries in other regions like North and South Kivu. That Beni, Goma and other towns has been embattled for a decade or more. There are now more worrying reports from Kasai-Oriental province where there are now questioning of the result of the skirmishes and running warfare between rebels against the Kabila government in Kinshasa. This is the militants of Kamuina Nsapu who have fought the civil war against Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC).

The violence in the former province of Kasai, shaken by the rebellion of the militiamen of Kamuina Nsapu, was invited to a meeting of the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva on Wednesday 22 March. While the Congolese authorities confirm overflows, the indictment of seven military personnel for crimes against humanity and an investigation into two mass graves in the former province of Kasaï, the United Nations, on their part, are worried about the The alleged existence of at least 17 mass graves in the central and eastern Kasai, as well as barriers to access to these sites and the exercise of their mandate” (RFI, 2017).

After the revelations about the massacres perpetrated by the Congolese army, the Voice of the Voiceless for Human Rights association is asking the judiciary to extend its ongoing investigations to similar crimes it has documented in the Kasai Oriental. Rostin Manteka, the executive director of La Voix des sans voix, spoke about abuses in the Kabeya-Kamwanga and Miabi territories” (…) “In these two territories the FARDC soldiers have also perpetrated many crimes. Several militiamen were killed there, including innocent people. There were even entire villages burned and people buried for several weeks in forests and bushes. So we want these crimes to be taken into account as well, and I believe that an international investigation would be essential in order to fight against the impunity of crimes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and that all victims of these crimes The injury suffered ” (RFI, 2017).

Executed Rebels:

In a report released on Wednesday (March 23rd) in Kinshasa, the NGODH revealed that 33 people were summarily executed and shot in the territory of Kabeya Kamuanga by soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo sent to the scene. “The victims were buried, piled up like cattle in latrines with feet or hands outside in order to terrorize the rest of the population and prevent young people and children from joining the militia. Any bereavement organization was formally banned under pain of suffering the same fate, “regrets Rostin Manketa, executive director of the VSV” (MCN Team, 2017).

That the State and Republic can create 17 Mass Graves and can be in-charge while these crimes and deaths are committed, than we know something is wrong. President Kabila and the Kinshasa regime are now hostile to their own citizens. Citizens that acts upon the unjust behavior and the use of army to oppress their voices and their ballots. The Kabila government are on overtime and doesn’t seem interested in stepping down, as the Presidential Election of 2016 didn’t appear.

Therefore, the violence and killings in Kasai-Oriental province is a proof of the injustice and the illegitimate regime. That they have to kill and bury the reactionary men and woman in the province. 17 mass graves with militia-men and the villages that are burned down. This all done with the force of the Republic Army. An army who has suppressed their own. There was not to long ago a video-clip of the use of killing innocent villagers, that the Kabila government called “Hollywood”, but with the UN findings of 17 Mass Graves! Proves that these video isn’t a rare incident, but more mere fact of the killings done by government.

The villages burned, all men and woman killed, while the world haven’t really acted, as the spiral of violence and all the loss of life. The uncertainty, the fragile situation as the army and rebels are killing each other. There are so many members of families, friends, uncle and unties that has lost their lives and is buried in the mass graves. This is acts of civil war that is occur there.

Clearing Kasai for explosives:

Central DRC has a legacy of explosive remnants of war (ERW) that limit the safe access to certain locations. Thanks to the generosity of the People of Japan, UNMAS, along with its implementing partner MAG, conducted ERW survey & clearance operations in Kasai Central, Kasai Oriental, Lomami, Maniema provinces. In one year, 124,872 m2 of land have been cleared and over 6,000 ERW and 20,000 rounds of ammunition have been destroyed to avoid potential misusage and proliferation towards armed groups, such as the militias currently operating in the area” (UNMAS, 17.03.2017).

So the violence and armed battles happens with all sort of arms, as there are even use of mines and explosives to explode on civilians and army battalions. All of this together with the other acts of harm, shows the ability to warfare that is in the province of Kasai. Peace.

Link:

MCN Team – ‘Affaire Kamuina Nsapu : la VSV appelle la justice militaire à élargir ses enquêtes au Kasaï Oriental’ (23.03.2017) link: http://mediacongo.net/article-actualite-24995.html

RFI – ‘RDC: l’ONU soupçonne l’existence d’au moins 17 fosses communes dans les Kasaï’ (23.03.2017) link: http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20170323-rdc-onu-fosses-communes-enquetes-kasai

RDC: Communique du Rassemblement du 19 Mars 2017 Relatif au Communique de la SADC du 18 Mars 2017 (19.03.2017)

RDC: La MONUSCO exprime ses vives preoccupations sur les recents developpements a Kananga (18.03.2017)

RDC: La MONUSCO poursuit activement ses recherches ses personnes portees disparues au Kasai (16.03.2017)

RDC: Letter from Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Zambian Authorities warning of Moïse Katumbi entry into Zambia (09.03.2017)

RDC: Communiqué du gouvernement sur l’ONU Michael Sharp visite au Kasaï-Oriental et l’enlèvement (13.03.2017)

RDC: “Concerne: Ma demission du Mouvement de Liberation du Congo, M.L.C en single, parti politique” (06.03.2017)

RDC: Opposition a la legalisation de tout document portant la denomiation AR (08.03.2017)

RDC: Declaration de la Direction Politique Nationale de L’UNC (08.03.2017)