Congo - U.N. Defends Failed Attempt To Halt Capture Of Goma
The United Nations defended its failed effort to prevent rebels from seizing the Congolese city of Goma, saying on Wednesday its helicopters...
http://www.africaeagle.com/2012/11/congo-un-defends-failed-attempt-to-halt.html
The United Nations defended its failed effort to prevent rebels from seizing the Congolese city of Goma, saying on Wednesday its helicopters had fired hundreds of rockets at rebels but were unable to beat them back as their ranks swelled.
Advancing M23 rebels seized the North Kivu capital on Tuesday after Democratic Republic of Congo soldiers fled.
Goma is a regional headquarters of a U.N. force, known as MONUSCO, tasked with assisting government troops to protect civilians, but peacekeepers largely looked on once the army fled and the city fell.
"Clearly, it is not the mandate of MONUSCO to directly hit the armed groups ... They have to be in support of the armed forces of Congo," U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous told reporters at the United Nations. "That is hardly achievable in a situation when there is no FARDC (Congo army) to support."
France called the failure of the peacekeeping force, which has heavy weapons and helicopters, to halt the advance of the lightly-armed rebels "absurd," and said its mandate should be reviewed.
Roger Meece, head of the U.N. mission in Congo, briefed the Security Council on Wednesday by video link from Kinshasa, and said the rebels has shown renewed capacity and sophisticated tactics as they advanced on Goma over the weekend.
While U.N. officials have said M23 were not engaging U.N. peacekeepers now, Meece said the United Nations had been the target of Congolese protesters.
"Since the occupation of Goma by the M23 we find there are violent protests and spontaneous demonstrations aimed at symbols of power in the Congo as well as U.N. staff and facilities," he said. "The risk of seeing this spread to other cities in the Congo is not to be excluded."
Goma is a regional headquarters of a U.N. force, known as MONUSCO, tasked with assisting government troops to protect civilians, but peacekeepers largely looked on once the army fled and the city fell.
"Clearly, it is not the mandate of MONUSCO to directly hit the armed groups ... They have to be in support of the armed forces of Congo," U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous told reporters at the United Nations. "That is hardly achievable in a situation when there is no FARDC (Congo army) to support."
France called the failure of the peacekeeping force, which has heavy weapons and helicopters, to halt the advance of the lightly-armed rebels "absurd," and said its mandate should be reviewed.
Roger Meece, head of the U.N. mission in Congo, briefed the Security Council on Wednesday by video link from Kinshasa, and said the rebels has shown renewed capacity and sophisticated tactics as they advanced on Goma over the weekend.
While U.N. officials have said M23 were not engaging U.N. peacekeepers now, Meece said the United Nations had been the target of Congolese protesters.
"Since the occupation of Goma by the M23 we find there are violent protests and spontaneous demonstrations aimed at symbols of power in the Congo as well as U.N. staff and facilities," he said. "The risk of seeing this spread to other cities in the Congo is not to be excluded."
