The situation concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo - Security Council, 10075th meeting

The 10,075th meeting of the Security Council is called to order.

The provisional agenda for this meeting is the situation concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The agenda is adopted in accordance with Rule 37 of the council's Provisional Rules of Procedure. I invite the representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to participate in this meeting. It is so decided.

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of item two of the agenda. I wish to draw the attention of the Council members to document S 2025 779, the report of the Secretary General on the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Members of the Council have before them document S 2025 824, the text of a draft resolution submitted by France.

The Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I now give the floor to those those members of the Council who wish to make statements before the vote. I give the floor to the representative of France.

Merci, Monsieur President. Thank you, Mr. President.

I wish first and foremost to pay tribute to the decisive action of Madame Bintou Kita at the helm of MINUSCO over the course of nearly six years. I also wish to thank all of the Security Council memberships members for their steadfast engagement through these negotiations. As is our custom, France has striven to take into account the positions of all Council members to achieve a consensus based outcome. The Council has been prompted to negotiate this draft under a resolution under unusual circumstances. Last Friday we met Even as the M23 continued to mount an offensive in South Kivu after having conquered Ovira with the support of the Rwandan Defense Forces.

This situation naturally had an impact on the course of negotiations. Mr. President, the draft resolution which will be put to the vote, is geared towards putting MONUSCO on the front lines in delivering support for peace efforts. Those of the AU and the mediation efforts of Togo, the efforts of sub regional organizations and their facilitators, and of course lastly those of the United States and of Qatar. I now turn to ceasefire verification. The draft adopts a sequential approach.

MONUSCO has been authorized now to support the implementation monitoring of a permanent ceasefire, specifically in support for the mechanism agreed upon by the parties in Doha and the regional components thereof. In several months the Council will have an opportunity to once again state its views and modalities for with this engagement will do so on the basis of the proposals from the Secretary General and on the basis of development of the situation on the ground. This approach reflects a desire to engage in compromise vis a vis the various positions that were set out during negotiations in a spirit of accountability. Lastly, the text recalls the fact that restrictions on freedom of movement of Manusco and exercise of its mandate are unacceptable. The Council needs to stand ready to act if these restrictions are to continue.

Mr. President, today's vote is an important milestone for Monusco, which can only bear fruit on the basis of tangible progress on the ground in light of the gravity and the urgent nature of the situation and following this resolution, France calls upon all parties to honor their commitments for the achievement of a lasting peace in the east of the DRC and in the Great Lakes region in respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Thank you.

I thank the representative of France for the statement. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now. Will those in favor of the draft resolution contained in document S2025 824 please raise their hand?

The result of the voting is as.

The result of the voting is as follows. The draft resolution received 15 votes in favor. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as Resolution 2808.

I now give the floor to those Council members who wish to make statements after the vote. I give the floor to the representative of China.

President. The Security Council has just adopted Resolution 2808 renewing the mandate of Manusco for one year. China voted in favor and recognizes the efforts of the penholder in building consensus among all parties. Monusko is led by the UN and implements the mandate from the Security Council. China supports Monusco in playing its role in promoting the peace process in Eastern drc.

However, no country should, out of selfish interests, customize Monusko according to its own political agenda. The Security Council must uphold the independence, neutrality and authority of Monusco and adhere to the basic principles governing peacekeeping operations. Only in this way will Monusco gain the trust and support of all Member States. The resolution requests the Secretary General to formulate proposals for Monusko to support the implementation of the ceasefire. We hope that the Secretary General will fully take into account the actual situation of the ceasefire on the ground and the capabilities of Manusco and clarify the role and bounds of duties of relevant proposals should be effective, feasible and in line with the spirit of UN.

80.

Recently, the situation in eastern DRC has taken a sharp turn for the worse. M23 attacked and occupied Uvira, which China finds seriously concerning. We urge M23 to implement the requirements of Security Council Resolution 2808. Immediately withdraw from Uvira and other cities, such as stop all military operations and further expansion and refrain from entering provinces including Tanganyika and Manyema, among others. The mediators should effectively fulfill their duties by bringing to bear their influence on M23 and prompting a prompt ceasefire on the ground.

The deployment of MINUSCO should be adjusted in a timely manner in light of the situation on the ground to prevent the spillover of the conflict and maintain peace and stability in eastern DRC and the broader region. China firmly supports the DRC's efforts to uphold the country's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and supports the DRC in restoring governance and authority in Eastern DRC at an early date. All countries from outside the region should stay truly committed to peace in Eastern drc, stop taking advantage of the situation and seeking economic resources and other selfish interests. China firmly supports MINUSCO in fulfilling its duties, supports the Secretary General, Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region in actively engaging in mediation efforts, and stands ready to work with all parties to make greater contributions to peace and stability in Eastern drc. I thank you, President.

I thank the representative of China for the statement. I give the floor to the representative of the Russian Federation.

Mr. President, the Russian Federation supported the draft resolution drafted by France on the extension of the mandate of Manusco. This document is the fruit of complicated compromises following days of discussions and sets out important goals and benchmarks. They set out a trajectory which allows the Mission to revert back to full fledged implementation of its mandate and to play a significant role in facilitating conflict resolution in the east of the drc. This specifically pertains to participation in monitoring of the possible ceasefire cessation of hostilities regime which needs to be established in accordance with security council resolution 2773 and on the basis of mutual obligations of the Parties within the framework of the Doha Agreement and Washington Agreement. We anticipate that the UN Secretariat will provide detailed reflections about concrete modalities for the participation of the Mission in the Doha monitoring mechanism and verification of the association of hostilities by the 1st of March of 2026.

We wish to separately emphasize the fact that, in accordance with the resolution adopted today, a Security Council decision to deploy peacekeepers to South Kivu to those ends will only be possible after written notification from the Mission's leadership about the fact that the situation in that province allow for this to be done. At present, unfortunately, developments on the ground point to the fact that certain parties to the conflict have faith in the possibility of its being concluded militarily. We believe that they are profoundly mistaken. Furthermore, the intensification of hostilities directly along the border with Burundi by doing by intensifying these hostilities they're significantly raising risks for themselves. We call upon the parties to cease fire to honor their obligations to implement Security Council Resolution 2,773, which spells out the key solutions for resolution of this brutal conflict.

For the benefit of the millions of residents of the DRC and the residents of other countries in the region, the Security Council has set its peace and has authorized the mission to make its contribution, provided that all of this is complied with. Thank you.

I thank the representative of the Russian Federation for the statement. And I give the floor to the representative of the United States.

Thank you.

The United States is pleased to vote to renew this critical mission for another year, and we thank France for leading the negotiations. We are pleased to have this peacekeeping mission strategically placed to assist in President Trump's office ongoing efforts to chart a path for peace in the region. Unfortunately, negotiations to renew the Manusco mandate were yet again disrupted by Rwandan and M23 efforts to sabotage a viable peace process. In negotiations, we considered further changes to the mandate to facilitate the implementation of the Doha framework. Sadly, M23's advance on Uvara, supported by the Rwandan Defense Forces and contrary to M23's obligations under the Doha framework, made these changes impossible.

M23's commitment to withdraw from Movera the city is not sufficient. M23 must immediately withdraw at least 75km from Muvira and return to compliance with all of its obligations undertaken in the Framework Agreement. We strongly condemn M23's advance on Uvira and beyond, as well as Rwanda's continued support for M23 in violation of its obligations under the Washington Accords. The United States remains firmly committed to the Washington Accords and their promise of peace and prosperity for Eastern drc, as well as supporting the efforts of the Doha Process. We expect full adherence by the Parties to both agreements.

If M23 and Rwanda choose to abide by their obligations, MSCO is able, through this mandate, to support the implementation of both processes. The mission stands ready to provide critical logistical support to the Mechanism agreed by M23 and DRC for monitoring and and verifying a ceasefire. This new mandate also bolsters mnusco's ongoing demobilization and repatriation of FDLR members, ensuring it can be as effective as possible. We urge the DRC government to do more to support these efforts and to immediately cut any ties with the fdlr. We should be very clear, while MNUSCO is a key enabler, the responsibility to fulfill these commitments rests solely with the Parties.

If the Parties fulfill their obligations There is much more that MNUSCO could do, including by supporting resumed flows of humanitarian assistance that local populations desperately need, potentially serving as an interpretational force to prevent ceasefire violations between the parties and other critical tasks. We look forward to reviewing progress towards implementation in March and assessing the need for additional roles for MINUSCO at that time. Thank you.

I thank the representative of the United States for the statement and I give the floor to the representative of Pakistan.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Pakistan voted in favor of the resolution renewing the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This has been a particularly difficult mandate renewal, being the first since the takeover of significant areas in eastern DRC by the M23. In this context, Pakistan appreciates the flexible and constructive approach of the French delegation which facilitated the Council to bridge differences and arrive at a text that preserved unity. Pakistan underscores that the effective implementation of this resolution must be ensured by the Parties, particularly the implementation of the ceasefire. We urge the M23 to immediately halt its advances and to fully abide by the commitments under the Doha Framework and the Washington Agreement.

The mission must be allowed to operate freely and safely in carrying out the mandate entrusted to it by this Council. Further restrictions on Munusko obstructing performance of its mandate should lead to strict measures by the council on M23 and its supporters. This resolution represents a continuation of Resolution 2773 whose full implementation remains indispensable for peace in Eastern DRC. Pakistan pays tribute to the dedication, professionalism and sacrifices of of MONUSCO personnel, including those who lost their lives in the line of duty. Their service embodies the highest ideals of the United Nations.

Ensuring their safety, security and operational effectiveness must remain a collective responsibility of this Council. Pakistan will continue to support MONUSCO in the fulfillment of its mandate. I thank you.

I thank the representative of Pakistan for the statement. And I give the floor to to the representative of Sierra leone.

Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President. I have the honor to deliver this explanation of vote on behalf of the A3 + members, namely Algeria, Guyana, Somalia and my own country, Sierra Leone. We extend our appreciation to the delegation of France for facilitating the negotiations of this resolution. Throughout the process, the A3 engaged constructively and in good faith, clearly articulating our concerns and remaining fully committed to meaningful dialogue.

We know that some of our concerns were not reflected in the text. We have welcome the adoption of Resolution 2808 and express our gratitude to the Council's continued attention and support for the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We voted in favour of this resolution in the spirit of compromise and in recognition of the incremental progress achieved since the M23 AFC renewed offensive against Congolese people earlier this month. Mr. President, this year has been particularly harrowing for the people of Eastern Congo, whose suffering has persisted for far too long. This is also true for the men and women serving courageously under the United nations flag, who continue to carry out their duties in extremely challenging circumstances.

The resolution just adopted rightly underscores the Council's grave concern over the rapidly deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in eastern DRC. Driven by the ongoing and violent offensive of the M23 AFC as well as the ADF Kodiko, CIP and other armed groups. The A3 strongly condemns the continued attack by the M23 AFC against the Congolese population and unequivocally calls on the group to immediately cease its territorial expansion in north and South Kivo. We further call on the M23 AFC to relinquish all territory under its control and to dismantle all parallel administrations. The scale of displacement, loss of life and destruction of livelihoods underscore the urgency of decisive and collective engagement by this council.

Mr. President, while today we have once again renewed the mandate of Monusco and while regional diplomatic initiatives and international efforts, including those emanating from Washington and oaa, continue, the Council must confront a sovereign reality. These efforts are still to translate to peace on the ground and achieve the end to a conflict that has devastated Congolese communities for more than three decades. The persistence of this war behoves us to consider the factors that continue to enable it and should force us to take more decisive actions to address those within the Council's remit. In conclusion, Mr. President, as the regional representatives on this Council, the A3 reaffirms its unwavering commitment to supporting all genuine efforts aimed at restoring peace, security, territorial integrity and stability in the Democratic Republic Congo in full respect of regional leadership and the aspirations of the people of Congo. Thank you.

I thank the representative of Sierra Leone for the statement. There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. The meeting is adjourned.