Ms Caoimhe de Barra:

What we see with respect to the role of the UN peacekeeping forces on the ground is something which is quite common. The UN peacekeeping forces are largely made up of members of armies from countries such as India and Bangladesh and other countries which do not have the resources to create these elite armed forces that are often what is needed to be able to pursue the kind of rebel armies we see here. Part of the problem is that it is very difficult to tackle rebel armies when they are dispersed and they use guerilla tactics. One of the aspects affecting Munesco in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, is that its mandate directs it to accompany the Congolese army and the Congolese army by its nature is extremely weak and fragmented. The Congolese army received, through a demobilisation and reintegration programme, 220,000 former ex-combatants from different rebel groups and that creates a command and control problem within the army itself. It is important to bear in mind also that the average soldier in the DRC army is paid $30 a month, when actually paid. There are major issues, therefore, around discipline and professionalism within the army and Munesco's role is to accompany that army and not go beyond it.

We believe that Munesco must clearly focus on its role of protecting civilians and that must be constantly emphasised. In the current context in Goma, with 1 million inhabitants, although 50,000 have left, how will those civilians be protected because they do not have any protection? We believe that a reinforcement of Munesco's mandate focusing on civilian protection but also on reinforcing and rebuilding the reform of the security sector is something that is key and the international community, including the European Union, must re-emphasise that work through technical assistance, funding and political support.