UNITED NATIONS — The Security Council extended Wednesday the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in the strife-torn Democratic Republic of Congo by five months and tasked it with better protecting civilians.
The 15-member body voted unanimously on Resolution 1906, which keeps MONUC's strength at its current level, 21,000 troops and police, and envisages a further year-long extension of the UN mandate from May 31.
The French-drafted text postponed any decision on when to begin withdrawing the force, which has been deployed in Congo for the past 10 years, and asked UN chief Ban Ki-moon to conduct a strategic review of the situation by April 1.
It set MONUC three main tasks: ensuring the effective protection of civilians, as well as humanitarian and UN personnel; disarming, demobilizing and reintegrating foreign and Congolese armed groups; and supporting government efforts to improve security.
Comments