United Nations Security Council Resolution 1991
Encyclopedia
United Nations
Security Council Resolution
1991, adopted unanimously on June 28, 2011, after reaffirming previous resolutions on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
, the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) until June 30, 2012.
The resolution was drafted by France
.
and human rights
abuses in the east of the country. Improved regional co-operation on economic stability in the Great Lakes region
was further encouraged and praised.
Furthermore, it was important that free, fair and credible general elections
planned for November 2011 were held. The Security Council also condemned attacks on United Nations and humanitarian personnel, and acknowledged the losses that the MONUSCO mission had already suffered.
renewed the mandate
of MONUSCO for a further period of one year until the end of June 2012. The Security Council confirmed that the priority was to protect civilians, while the Congolese government
remained responsible for their safety. The configuration of MONUSCO would depend on the situation on the ground: the military operations in the northeast, the enhanced capacities of the government and the extension of state authority throughout the country.
Meanwhile, Council members demanded that rebel groups, such as the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda
and the Lord's Resistance Army
immediately end all violence and human rights abuses. There was also concern at the promotion of individuals suspected of abuses in the country's security forces.
The resolution further decided that MONUSCO could provide support to local, provincial and national elections where requested by the Congolese authorities. The detention of Bernard Munyagishari
at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
was welcomed.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Security Council Resolution
United Nations Security Council Resolution
A United Nations Security Council resolution is a UN resolution adopted by the fifteen members of the Security Council; the UN body charged with "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security"....
1991, adopted unanimously on June 28, 2011, after reaffirming previous resolutions on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) until June 30, 2012.
The resolution was drafted by France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Observations
In the preamble of the resolution, the Council noted that the overall security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had improved in recent years, but there were still major problems with armed groupsMilitia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
abuses in the east of the country. Improved regional co-operation on economic stability in the Great Lakes region
African Great Lakes
The African Great Lakes are a series of lakes and the Rift Valley lakes in and around the geographic Great Rift Valley formed by the action of the tectonic East African Rift on the continent of Africa...
was further encouraged and praised.
Furthermore, it was important that free, fair and credible general elections
Democratic Republic of the Congo general election, 2011
Presidential and parliamentary elections were held in Democratic Republic of the Congo on 28 November 2011; a facultative run-off on 26 February 2012 was shelved with a change in election laws....
planned for November 2011 were held. The Security Council also condemned attacks on United Nations and humanitarian personnel, and acknowledged the losses that the MONUSCO mission had already suffered.
Acts
The Chapter VII resolutionChapter VII of the United Nations Charter
Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter sets out the UN Security Council's powers to maintain peace. It allows the Council to "determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression" and to take military and nonmilitary action to "restore international peace...
renewed the mandate
Mandate (international law)
In international law, a mandate is a binding obligation issued from an inter-governmental organization like the United Nations to a country which is bound to follow the instructions of the organization....
of MONUSCO for a further period of one year until the end of June 2012. The Security Council confirmed that the priority was to protect civilians, while the Congolese government
Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the second institution in the central executive branch of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the first institution being the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who has the title of head of state.- Description :Under the...
remained responsible for their safety. The configuration of MONUSCO would depend on the situation on the ground: the military operations in the northeast, the enhanced capacities of the government and the extension of state authority throughout the country.
Meanwhile, Council members demanded that rebel groups, such as the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda
Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda
The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda is the primary remnant Rwandan Hutu Power rebel group in the east of the of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is often referred to as simply the FDLR after its original French name: the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda...
and the Lord's Resistance Army
Lord's Resistance Army
The Lord's Resistance Army insurgency is an ongoing guerrilla campaign waged since 1987 by the Lord's Resistance Army rebel group, operating mainly in northern Uganda, but also in South Sudan and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo...
immediately end all violence and human rights abuses. There was also concern at the promotion of individuals suspected of abuses in the country's security forces.
The resolution further decided that MONUSCO could provide support to local, provincial and national elections where requested by the Congolese authorities. The detention of Bernard Munyagishari
Bernard Munyagishari
Bernard Munyagishari is a Hutu man accused of having had a prominent role in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. According to the 2005 indictment against him, as a commander of the Interahamwe, he created a special unit for the rape and murder of Tutsi women. and also the massacre of Rwanda Patriotic Front...
at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is an international court established in November 1994 by the United Nations Security Council in Resolution 955 in order to judge people responsible for the Rwandan Genocide and other serious violations of international law in Rwanda, or by Rwandan...
was welcomed.
See also
- Dongo conflictDongo conflictThe Dongo conflict is an armed conflict centered in Dongo, on the left bank of the Ubangi River in the Kungu territory of Sud-Ubangi District, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Fighting started in late October 2009 as a conflict between members of two communities over access to fishing ponds: the...
- Ituri conflictIturi ConflictThe Ituri conflict is a conflict between the agriculturalist Lendu and pastoralist Hema ethnic groups in the Ituri region of the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo . While there have been many phases to the conflict, the most recent armed clashes ran from 1999 to 2003, with a low-level...
- Kivu conflictKivu conflictThe Kivu conflict is an armed conflict between the military of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Hutu Power group Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda . The United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo also became involved in the conflict...
- List of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1901 to 2000 (2009 – 2011)