UN chief sees DRC elections sign of hope for Africa

Visiting UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday called last year's elections in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) a sign of hope for the rest of Africa.

"I chose to come here to send a symbolic message to people of the world that it is possible to see a rebirth of hope," said Ban, who arrived earlier in the day in the DRC capital of Kinshasa.

He said he saw DRC's path out of war as symbolic of the potential for the continent as a whole, although the situation in the central African country remained tense in the days following the elections.

The DRC held its landmark presidential elections on July 30, the first in the war-shattered DRC for more than four decades and the first since independence in 1960 to be considered free and fair.

During the elections, incumbent President Joseph Kabila won a run-off on Oct. 29, defeating Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba.

Ban also said the DRC needs to train its security forces to ensure long-term security and to allow peacekeeping forces to eventually pull out of the country.

But he declined to give a timetable for the withdrawal of UN troops, saying it will take place "in a progressive manner, according to a calendar to be discussed with the government."

A day before Ban's visit, the Britain-based aid agency Oxfam International urged UN member states not to reduce the number of UN peacekeepers in the DRC, saying the successful elections should not be used as an excuse for cutting down the number of UN troops there.

"The DRC is at a critical point," Juliette Prodhan, head of Oxfam in the DRC said in a statement, adding the elections "were a success but the new government institutions are fragile."

"Without the continuing support of the UN peacekeepers there is a risk that the DRC could slide back into conflict and chaos. The UN under Ban cannot abandon the millions of Congolese who voted for peace and stability," Prodhan added.

About 18,000 UN peacekeepers are stationed there, the largest UN mission, whose mandate is up for renewal next month.

The DRC is the first African country Ban is visiting since taking office as UN chief on Jan. 1, 2007. Ban, who as accompanied by his special envoy William Swing, the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in DRC (MONUC), was treated to a ceremonial welcome.

On Sunday, Ban will visit DRC's third largest city, Kisangani, to meet with President Joseph Kabila and visit MONUC installations before heading to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to attend the African Union summit on Monday.

Ban said he would travel there to personally discuss regional conflicts with the continent's leaders, particularly on the crisis in Sudan's western Darfur region and ongoing violence in post-war Somalia.

"My priority as secretary-general of the United Nations is to contribute myself to the resolution of all regional conflict issues," Ban said.

Source: Xinhua