Zaire: Security Council stresses humanitarian objectives.

• Position: UN Security Council - Includes related article on the UN Population Fund

Since September 1996, the situation in Zaire had undergone a "sharp transformation", Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali stated on 29 November. Fighting between that country's army and the rebels had intensified and resulted in the rebels' takeover, by 4 November 1996, of the towns of Uvira, Bukavu and Goma, causing a massive movement of over a million Rwandan and Burundian refugees who needed urgent humanitarian relief, he reported (S/1996/993).

On 4 November, Laurent-Desire Kabila, leader of a rebel group - Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire (ADFL) - had announced a "unilateral cease-fire" and on 10 November promised to open a "humanitarian corridor for refugees and relief organizations", at the same time warning that "any humanitarian organizations wishing to operate in what he called 'liberated zones' had to deal with the ADFL", the Secretary-General said. Reacting to that statement, on 10 November the Zairian Minister of Information had warned international organizations "not to deal with or support the rebels, otherwise the Government could withdraw their right to work inside Zaire", he added.

"The divergent positions of the rebels and of the Government of Zaire on this issue have made negotiations regarding humanitarian corridors and the return of aid agencies, whose relocation the Secretary-General had reluctantly authorized earlier, to eastern Zaire extremely difficult", Mr. Boutros-Ghali stressed.

In September 1996, the Zairian Government had accused the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees - which was providing humanitarian aid to some 1.2 million Rwandan and Burundian refugees in eastern Zaire - of assisting the rebels. The Secretary-General sent a Special Envoy, Ibrahima Fall, to the area twice, from 22 to 23 September and from 18 to 24 October, who established that those accusations were unfounded. He also managed to identify the course of action that could help control or resolve the conflict. On 29 October, the Secretary-General appointed Raymond Chretien, as his Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region, whose mandate included the development of plans for defusing the tension and promotion of political dialogue.

Temporary multinational force authorized

The Security Council on 9 November expressed its grave concern at the deteriorating situation in eastern Zaire and welcomed the Secretary-General's proposal that a multinational force should be deployed there for...