Security Council Press Statement on Democratic Republic of Congo

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Matthew Rycroft (United Kingdom):

The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the latest attacks conducted on 29 November 2015 by the Allied Defense Forces (ADF) in North Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, including against a United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) base.  These attacks led to the killing of one peacekeeper, four Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) soldiers and several civilians, and the injury of several others, including one peacekeeper.

The members of the Security Council expressed their condolences to the family of the peacekeeper killed, to the Government of Malawi and to MONUSCO, as well as to the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  They called on the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to swiftly investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.  The members of the Security Council underlined that attacks targeting peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law.

They condemned in the strongest terms the repeated attacks perpetrated against civilians by the ADF in North Kivu, which have already resulted in more than 500 civilians killed since October 2014.  They further stressed the utmost importance of neutralizing, once and for all, all armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and called for the urgent resumption of operations against these groups.

The members of the Security Council reiterated their support to MONUSCO and called on all parties to cooperate fully with the Mission and to remain committed to the full and objective implementation of the Mission’s mandate.