New head of UN peacekeeping force in DR Congo visits rebel-held Goma

The newly appointed head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, MONUSCO, arrived in the rebel-held city of Goma on Friday.

In his first tour of the east of the country, James Swan will meet with leaders of the Alliance Fleuve Congo/M23 rebellion which holds large swathes of the region.

He said the UN has welcomed "progress" over an agreement on "humanitarian access and judicial protection".

"[We] encouraged the parties to honour their commitments so that this agreement can be concluded swiftly, with a view to ending the suffering of the civilian populations affected by the conflict," he said.

Coming at a time when the ceasefire monitoring mechanism is struggling to gain traction, his visit carries significant symbolic weight.

Swan said monitoring the ceasefire required that a number of essential conditions be met to enable the Joint Verification Mechanism Plus to operate in a credible, safe, and effective manner.

His visit follows the extension of MONUSCO’s mandate which will see it provide technical support to the ceasefire monitoring mechanism, including in South Kivu.

"These conditions include the cessation of the use of offensive drones, an end to the jamming and hijacking of GPS signals, full freedom of movement for MONUSCO personnel and assets, and safe access to airports and airspace," he said.

Since taking office on 7 April, Swan has prioritised efforts to finding a settlement to the conflict in the eastern Congo.