DRC: Remarks by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, on the Situation in the Congo at a Security Council Stakeout

Ambassador Rice: I want to begin by thanking Assistant Secretary General Khare and SRSG Wallstrom for what was both in the chamber and in our consultations a very frank, comprehensive and we think illuminating briefing on the tragic events that transpired over the last several weeks in Eastern DRC. The rapes, the sexual violence are outrageous and the United States and the Council have condemned them in the most forceful terms. But today, we got additional information which shed more light on what transpired, how and why. Many of the questions that we had been asked I feel have been well answered, and we had the opportunity in consultations to really delve into such issues as why was it that when the UN patrols went through the areas subsequently they were not informed of the rapes that had occurred by the villagers. We were able to learn better about the communications infrastructure and what might be done to improve it. We were able to understand better some of the delays in information flowing up the chain from the field all the way through to the Security Council. It was a very helpful and constructive discussion.

At the United States' request we will receive, in detail, the recommendations that were made in the open Council and any others that the Secretariat feels worthy of discussion and consideration with the Security Council. We have asked for, and there will now be, a subsequent session of the Council in which we discuss these recommendations and the way forward, such that protection of civilians in Congo, and in particular protection of women and children against rape and sexual violence can be improved and enhanced in a sustainable way. And we'll also look at whether the lessons learned in Congo can be applied elsewhere where sexual violence and violence against civilians is of grave concern and where protection of civilians is core to the mandate of the United Nations. So we look forward to pursuing this with vigor. As Ambassador Apakan said, the Council is going to be very active in following this up in partnership with the Secretariat, and with MONUSCO officials on the ground.

From the United States' point of view, we will take up the mantle of leadership, as we have to date, in this and other contexts, on ensuring that the perpetrators of the violence are held accountable, including through our efforts in the Sanctions Committee to add them to the lists that exist and to ensure that they are sanctioned.

Finally, I want to underscore an important point, that SRSG Wallstrom made. And that is, it is absolutely right and appropriate and necessary for the United Nations to ask what went wrong, and to take responsibility for its failings, and all of us as member states in that process. But the United Nations did not perpetrate these crimes. The FDLR and the Mayi-Mayi did, and it is they who ought to be held accountable and responsible. It is they who deserve the scrutiny and the spotlight of the international community, as well as those that are there to protect innocents. And the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has its responsibilities, and I think as we heard, they have some distance still to go in meeting them. So with that, I will take a few questions.

Reporter: Given what you've come to a better understanding of what happened, do you feel like there are any flaws in what the UN did that need to be corrected there, and secondly, some names came up in the briefing, and is there going to be anything targeted at them, I mean two or three commanders names came up, is there going to be something—request to take sanctions or actions against them.

Ambassador Rice: First of all absolutely, as we heard from the Secretariat, there were flaws and failings in the UN's response, and I will leave it to Assistant Secretary General Khare to characterize those as he did in the full Council. But there's no doubt that things could have been done differently and better and the aim will be to ensure that this is done differently and better in the future. With respect to the individuals named, obviously we have now information that we didn't have previously as to who might be responsible for these atrocities and rapes. That's information that the United States will want to look into further and take seriously as we determine who are the appropriate individuals to be subject to potential sanctions.

Reporter: Ambassador Rice, there was—SRSG Wallstrom spoke of the systematic and organized approach to this rape, that it was organized by individuals—these people have been named. How clear is it that there is some sort of strategy behind all of this? It has been going on for quite awhile, what is the U.S. sense, what is your intelligence on this, what's going on there?

Ambassador Rice: That is very difficult frankly, to state with certainty, we have nothing to suggest that there isn't a systematic aspect to this, but I think that given the prevalence and the frequency of sexual violence as a tool of conflict throughout the Congo, we also have to assume that while some of it, and perhaps this set of instances is systematic, others just seem to be random and frightenly routine and perpetrated by various different parties of this conflict, obviously most egregiously and most frequently by the FDLR and the Mayi-Mayi and the like, but not exclusively. So, these are among the deeper questions that in our view still remain to be asked and answered. I felt today that we learned a lot more about what transpired and what particular instances that we were most concerned about of late and that the Council focused on, but the underlying causes and motivation is something that we all, I think, need to understand better, and we are grateful to SRSG Wallstrom for her efforts to investigate and illuminate that long term aspect of it and the Council will want to follow up and not only immediate mechanisms, to prevent violence and to protect civilians, but also to understand the root causes.