UN peacekeeping chief travels to S Africa

UNITED NATIONS - The UN under-secretary- general for peacekeeping operations, Herve Ladsous, on Monday traveled to the Great Lakes region and South Africa, to meet with authorities on the situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a UN spokesman told reporters here.

Ladsous will discuss the situation in eastern DRC "with national authorities and regional bodies," said UN spokesperson Farhan Haq at a daily press briefing here.

The six-day visit is in preparation for the high-level meeting on the situation in eastern DRC, to be convened by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on September 27, Haq said.

In a statement to the just-concluded Great Lakes regional summit, Ban said that the regional efforts was crucial to bring an early end the fighting in eastern DRC.

"Military deterrence alone will not resolve the current crisis," Ban said in the statement. "I strongly encourage continued and strengthened high-level dialogue at the bilateral and regional level aimed at finding a durable solution, including through addressing the underlying causes of the conflict."

On August 29, the United Nations has voiced its deep concern over reported massacre of civilians in North Kivu province in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Rival armed groups were locked in fighting in North Kivu province near the DRC's border with Rwanda where warring groups have targeted villages seen as supporting their opponents, reports said.

The UN peacekeeping mission in DRC, known as MONUSCO, was set up by the UN Security Council in July 2010, with a mandate to protect civilians and support the government in its efforts to stabilize the country and sustain peace.