21 Nov 2012

UN / DR CONGO WRAP

The Security Council has strongly condemned the latest wave of attacks by the 23 March Movement (M23) rebel group and demanded its immediate withdrawal from Goma, a provincial capital in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that was overrun yesterday. UNTV

Posted at: November 21, 2012 5:19 pm

Duration: 04:24

Available in: SD

DOWNLOAD

Full script

STORY: UN / DR CONGO WRAP
TRT: 4.24
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: FRENCH / ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 20-21 NOVEMBER 2012, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

SHOTLIST:

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

21 NOVEMBER 2012, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. Med shot, delegates
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Roger A. Meece, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of Congo:
"In recent days the M23 undertook major new offensive operations, and have now occupied the provincial capital of Goma. This was done despite significant resistance by the Congolese Army, as well as MONUSCO forces engaged alongside of and in support of the FARDC, including engagement by FARDC and MONUSCO attack helicopters and ground forces. Initially, the offensive was held in check. Showing again renewed capacity; however, the M23 continued its offensive, exhibiting sophisticated tactics."
5. Med shot, delegates
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Roger A. Meece, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of Congo:
"The M23 forces are well provisioned, and well supplied with uniforms, and a variety of arms and munitions, many of which clearly have not come from existing FARDC stocks. They exhibit many characteristics of a strong, disciplined established military force with sophisticated tactics and operations, including night operations, which are not characteristic of traditional performance."
7. Med shot, delegates
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Roger A. Meece, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of Congo:
"The occupation of Goma also poses a major risk of increased serious human rights violations, including killings and forced recruitment of civilians, including minors. The leader of the M23 armed movement, Sultani Makenga, a former Congolese Army officer who was ostensibly integrated into the national army as a result of agreements reached in 2009. In reality, however, Makenga never accepted full state authority or central command orders. Like Bosco Ntganda, he is a man with a well documented history of very serious human rights abuses."
9. Med shot, delegates
10. Zoom out, Security Council
11. Wide shot, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous walking up to the stakeout position

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

12. Close up, reporter's notepad

21 NOVEMBER 2012, NEW YORK CITY

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Hervé Ladsous, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations:
"The FARDC left the area of Goma, went to the town of Sake, which is further west and there are information today that maybe the M23 forces are now in the region of Sake, so where are these forces? I suppose further west somewhere, but there is a real question of course, because they simply melted away and indeed many responsible persons, functionaries and others, have also left the city, which of course again gives rise to the question of whether the M23 is building a sort of de facto administration as they did several months ago in the area of Ruturu."

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

14. Close up, camera

21 NOVEMBER 2012, NEW YORK CITY

15. Zoom out, Ladsous walking away from the stakeout position

20 NOVEMBER 2012, NEW YORK CITY

16. Various shots, Security Council vote
17. Wide shot, French Ambassador Gérard Araud walking up to the stakeout position

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

18. Close up, reporter's laptop computer

20 NOVEMBER 2012, NEW YORK CITY

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Gérard Araud, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations:
"From the outside it looks a bit strange that you have soldiers who don't fight. But UN forces, UN blue helmets are not parties in a civil war. They are not supposed to do the job of the national army."

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

20. Close up, reporter's notepad

20 NOVEMBER 2012, NEW YORK CITY

21. SOUNDBITE (French) Gérard Araud, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations:
"The United Nations forces must do everything to avoid human rights violations in the areas controlled by the M23. MONUSCO is patrolling in Goma, but obviously there are only 1,700 MONUSCO soldiers in Goma, a city of more than a million inhabitants that is quite vast, so it's very difficult. But in any case I can assure you that France will call for, be very vigilant so that the peacekeeping force in Goma does its best to defend civilians facing a group, the M23, that is headed by notorious war criminals."

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

22. Close up, reporter's notepad

20 NOVEMBER 2012, NEW YORK CITY

23. Zoom out, Araud walking away from the stakeout position

STORYLINE:

Briefing the Council today via video-link from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today (21 November), the Secretary-General's Special Representative and head of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), Roger Meece, said that currently the 23 March Movement (M23) rebel group effectively occupies a significant portion of North Kivu, and it has been setting up a formal administrative or governing structure.

Meece said the M23's takeover of Goma was done "despite significant resistance by the Congolese Army, as well as MONUSCO forces" including the engagement by Congolese and MONUSCO attack helicopters and ground forces.

He said that "Initially, the offensive was held in check" but "the M23 continued its offensive, exhibiting sophisticated tactics."

The Special Representative noted the M23 forces are "well provisioned, and well supplied with uniforms, and a variety of arms and munitions," indicating outside support.

He said they exhibit "many characteristics of a strong, disciplined established military force with sophisticated tactics and operations, including night operations, which are not characteristic of traditional performance."

Meece said the occupation of Goma "poses a major risk of increased serious human rights violations, including killings and forced recruitment of civilians, including minors."

He pointed out that the leader of the M23 armed movement, Sultani Makenga, "is a man with a well documented history of very serious human rights abuses."

Makenga, like Bosco Ntganda, another rebel leader, are former Congolese Army officers who had ostensibly integrated into the national army in 2009, but later launched a rebellion.

Outside the Council, the UN peacekeeping chief, Hervé Ladsous spoke about the lack of opposition encountered by the M23s as they entered Goma.

He said that Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) had left the area of Goma and "went to the town of Sake, which is further west and there are information today that maybe the M23 forces are now in the region of Sake."

He said that there is "a real question" about the current location of the FARDC forces, which "simply melted away."

He said that "many responsible persons, functionaries and others" have also left Goma, which "gives rise to the question of whether the M23 is building a sort of de facto administration as they did several months ago in the area of Ruturu."

In a resolution adopted unanimously last night (20 November), the Security Council strongly condemned the latest wave of attacks by the M23 rebel group and demanded its immediate withdrawal from Goma.

The 15-member body also demanded "the cessation of any further advances by the M23 and that its members immediately and permanently disband and lay down their arms."

Outside the Council, French Ambassador Gérard Araud spoke about the role of MONUSCO and said that "from the outside it looks a bit strange that you have soldiers who don't fight" but stressed that "UN blue helmets are not parties in a civil war" and "are not supposed to do the job of the national army."

He said "the United Nations forces must do everything to avoid human rights violations in the areas controlled by the M23" and pointed out that although MONUSCO is patrolling in Goma, "there are only 1,700 MONUSCO soldiers in Goma, a city of more than a million inhabitants that is quite vast, so it's very difficult."

Eastern DRC has been hit this year by massive humanitarian needs triggered by the rise of the M23 and violence by more than two dozen other armed groups across the region, with widespread abuses against civilians including murder, rape and brutal reprisals.

MONUSCO, with 19,000 uniformed personnel, is the latest iteration of UN peacekeeping missions that have helped to bring stability and civilian elections to the vast nation after it was torn apart by civil wars and rebel movements.