Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the number of peacekeeping troops in northeastern Congo should be tripled to control tribal fighting and promote a peace deal to end the country’s civil war. In a report to the Security Council Monday, Annan said that after nearly five years of continuous fighting, Congo “finds itself at an intersection of peace and war.” The peace process cannot move forward without “the demonstrated commitment” of Congolese leaders who must stop fighting and meet other key benchmarks in the coming weeks, he stressed. These include lifting travel restrictions, transforming armed groups into political parties, and establishing the high command of a new integrated army. Congo’s government and rebels signed a power-sharing deal in December. Five foreign African armies that had backed rival government and rebel sides have withdrawn under a series of peace deals and there has been some progress toward forming a transitional government. But Annan said: “The magnitude of the challenges should not be underestimated: the country is still divided, military hostilities continue in the east, the population is traumatized by years of conflict, the country is poverty stricken and state services and infrastructure are non-existent.” Full Story
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