ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, 21 - 23 MARCH
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his wife flew over the Congo River to Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Tuesday, 21 March, from Brazzaville, on the fourth leg of his current visit to Africa.
They immediately headed to the United Nations Mission in the country, where the Secretary-General laid a wreath for fallen United Nations peacekeepers and spoketo the Mission staff about their role in the historic elections planned for this June. (See Press Release SG/SM/10385.)
He said that this is the first time in 45 years that the Congolese are going to have a chance to vote in open multiparty elections. He told the Mission staff, “You are no little part of that gift that they’ll have for June of this year.”
He then received a briefing from Special Representative William Swing, Force Commander Lieutenant General Babacar Gaye and the other senior staff of the Mission.
The Secretary-General met in the afternoon with President Joseph Kabila. He told reporters afterward that they had discussed the political situation in the country, elections, the reform of the army reform and economic reconstruction, as well as United Nations reform.
The Secretary-General and Nane Annan then visited a centre for street children, former child combatants and other exploited or abused children. They met with three girls and listened to the tragic accounts of how their parents had forced them to become street children before they came to the centre where they were now going to school. That centre is supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
Mrs. Annan, separately, met and spoke with women survivors of sexual violence at a care centre supported by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA).
On Wednesday morning, the Secretary-General had back-to-back meetings with the four Vice-Presidents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo -– Azarias Ruberwa, Jean-Pierre Bemba, Arthur Zahidi Ngoma and Abdoulaye Yerodia, and held a second meeting one-on-one with President Kabila.
He held a meeting with the President of the Independent Electoral Commission, Abbé Malu Malu and then spoke to members of political parties and civil society. He emphasized the importance of creating an atmosphere of trust and security to enable the full participation of all political parties that will reinforce the credibility of the democratic process. He had a lively exchange after delivering those remarks. (See Press Release SG/SM/10386.)
He also met with the representatives of Angola, Nigeria, South Africa, Belgium, France, and the five permanent members of the Security Council who make up a committee supporting the transition to democracy.
Following a town hall meeting, the Secretary-General held a press conference. In answer to a question on political difficulties facing the electoral process, the Secretary-General said that problems should not be insurmountable “if the will is there”, and if the leaders put the interest of the nation and the people ahead of short-term concerns.
In a separate programme, Nane Annan met a network of women leaders on issues concerning Congolese women, notably women’s participation in the electoral process and the upcoming elections, violence against women, and poverty. She then met with leaders of networks of people living with HIV/AIDS about issues of awareness, prevention and treatment of the disease. Mrs. Annan praised them for their courage in the face of stigma and discrimination and their leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS in their communities. “I am also happy that you are speaking about the special case of girls and women, in view of the problem of sexual violence and the transfer of HIV/AIDS from husband to wife”, she said.
On Thursday morning, the Secretary-General travelled to Kisangani and visited the United Nations Mission’s Eastern Division headquarters. The United Nations Mission has 14,000 peacekeepers deployed in the east, out of 17,000 in all.
While in Kisangani, the Secretary-General also visited the local office of the International Electoral Commission and met with women leaders at a church compound in Kisangani.
At the compound, he met with the Archbishop of Kisangani, Laurent Monsengwo. In remarks at a joint press encounter with the Archbishop, the Secretary-General said that he senses the excitement of the Congolese people about the opportunity to elect their own leaders democratically. He said that the Congolese are fed up with war and do not want to go back to the destruction and the misery of the past.
He then went to the village of Madula to visit a centre where former combatants can decide whether to go into the military or back into civilian life. He toured the centre and was greeted enthusiastically by hundreds of former combatants who had lined up to meet him under the scorching sun.
Meanwhile, Nane Annan visited the Kisangani General Hospital, where she met and spoke with women and girls as young as four who had suffered from sexual violence. Some were pregnant or infected with HIV as a result of rape. In a groundbreaking joint project led by the UNFPA, the women receive medical, psychological and legal assistance, as well as reorientation into their families and communities. The project also works to reduce and prevent sexual violence against women and children.
Before leaving Kisangani, the Secretary-General held a press conference at the airport. The Secretary-General said that the Democratic Republic of the Congo had a difficult history and had “gained its independence through the gates of fire”. He was asked about the transfer of Thomas Lubanga to the International Criminal Court and he responded that he was pleased by that, and stressed the need to respect the rule of law.
He and Mrs. Annan left Kisangani for Libreville, Gabon, the next leg of his two-week Africa mission.
For photographs related to this visit, please visit www.un.org/av/photo.