UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, has expressed his gratitude to India and other nations contributing troops to the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), following the deaths of three peacekeepers last week.
All 1,114 Indian troops and 160 police personnel deployed in the region were reported safe after two South African and one Uruguayan peacekeepers were killed by the M23 rebel group, which has seized control of parts of the mineral-rich eastern DRC.
“We really admire the resilience, the fortitude, the determination and commitment of our peacekeepers…. and I want to extend this expression of gratitude to the troop-contributing countries, ” Lacroix said on Monday.
“It’s very challenging for our peacekeepers, and of course, it is very challenging for our troop-contributing countries, and I really thank them for the support,” he added.
Lacroix spoke via video link from Damascus, where he was on another UN mission. He added that he had been in touch with several ambassadors from troop-contributing nations.
Since its establishment, MONUSCO, one of the deadliest UN operations, has resulted in the deaths of 290 peacekeepers, including 21 Indian personnel. The recent killings of two South African and one Uruguayan peacekeeper occurred on Friday and Saturday, respectively, in eastern DRC.
The current surge in violence is blamed on neighboring Rwanda, whose troops have been accused of aiding the M23 rebel group. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on Rwanda to cease its support for M23 and withdraw its forces from the DRC.
The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on Sunday, condemning the presence of “external forces” in eastern DRC, a diplomatic reference to Rwanda.
M23 has reportedly captured Goma, a key city in eastern DRC. The region is rich in minerals vital to high-tech industries.
MONUSCO, established in 2010 by the Security Council, aims to protect civilians, support humanitarian efforts, and assist the DRC government in restoring stability amid ongoing rebel violence.
(Inputs from IANS)