Reaction letter to the UN Deputy Secretary in-charge of Peace Mission during his visit in DRCongo
NREF: 28/COJESKI/NK/09/2024 Le 24 Septembre 2024
Here is the original copy ” Lettre 28 du 24th September 2024 to LaCroix UN
Jean Pierre Lacroix in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Open Letter
Our response to Jean Piere Lacroix the Deputy Secretary of the United Nations in charge of Peace and Security during his one week mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 14th to 21st September 2024: The sovereignty of DRC people calling upon the withdraw of MONUSCO cannot be subjected to the will of the UN Security Council and should not be viewed as rumor or fake news
During your one week mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo recently you were recorded by the media as saying that the withdraw of MONUSCO has never been acted neither by the Government of DRC nor by the UN Security Council, and claiming that it was a rumor.
The legitimate demand of the Congolese people to call upon the UN Mission to leave RDC should not be viewed as an evaluation process concluded for the failure or the success of MONUSCO but rather as a natural desire of self-determination of the people, and the desire of people to claim their autonomy may not be perceived as based on rumor.
The United Nations are based on cannon principles of freedom, liberty, independence, democracy and human rights among others which should not suffer any consequences, these principles empower people to decide about their destiny, and in this particular case it is for the United Nations Mission to leave DRC. We enjoyed the presence of this mission for the last 25 years and people want to take charge of the security of their country rather than always depending on the United Nations.
In your media statements during your last visit in DRC you showed a clear different view between your office which wants MONUSCO to stay without indicating why it should stay and the demands of peoples calling upon the departure of the UN mission by 301st December 2024, in which you seemed to forget that people are key actors in the whole decision making process and that the United Nations ought to respect the will of the people. While you have regularly visited DRC, it is important to observe that meeting people is one thing, listing to the views of people is another and more often responding to their demands is the at the center of democratic societies. Questions remain about the people who interacted with you and if they really represented the views of the majority as on ground most of the critical voices were not present in the meetings you held in Goma.
For the last few years we have observed the radicalization of UN Mission using even force, threats and intimidations in order to silence those who are either critical or opposed to their presence in DRC. Your presence came then at the very time when we still have fresh memories of people especially young people who died during the demonstrations against the Presence of MONUSCO in 2022, the Massacre against members the religious group of Wazalendo who were preparing a demonstration against the UN Mission in August 2023 and above all most of the survivors are up to now detained in prisons while the perpetrators are free in Kinshasa and no investigations have been made in order to establish the real planners of these crimes which highly benefit the UN Mission in DRC in her policy of terror in DRC.
We remain so much preoccupied that the future of Congolese people is decided in New –York rather than in our streets in Goma, and then being imposed on people through a culture of terror, and unfortunately there are less efforts to learn from the past mistakes on contrary the UN Mission does repeat the same mistakes rooted in the culture of violence against the very people you intend to protect in DRC. Such orientation has left us puzzled about how many people you want to massacre before you act the withdrawal of MONUSCO, at the same time we wonder what should United Nations loose in case you withdraw your mission in DRC, and why it is important to keep in place a mission which does not enjoy the support of people and which does not profit to people.
At the moment we expected arrangement which creates a sincere dialogue between the Congolese people and the United Nations about the future of MONUSCO after December 2024 in order to spear the lives of many innocent people, but we observe the radicalization of views which generally is likely to spread violence and popular resistance which seems as per now the only option remaining, as you clearly indicated that you will stay at all means as long as you enjoy the support from the DRC Government.
As the network we fully support the withdrawing of MONUSCO in order to hold Congolese people more accountable for their security and the security of their country which has been lacking over the years. As a nations we cannot always depend on the protection of the United Nations.
May we implore your consideration
Yours sincerely
Kulihoshi Musikami Pecos
Provincial Coordonnator
