The DR Congo, a Central African country, has been elected twice as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council: in 1982-1983 and again in 1991-1992, during the Gulf War, recalled the head of Democratic Congolese diplomacy, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, speaking to diplomats.
On this last occasion, this neighbouring country of Angola "played a key role in condemning Iraq for its invasion of Kuwait", the minister stressed.
"After more than three decades of absence from the Security Council, our country is once again presenting itself as a candidate, supported by the African Union and the Southern African Development Community (SADC)", continued Kayikwamba Wagner.
On 25 September, the President of the DR Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, announced the DR Congo's candidacy in a speech to the UN General Assembly.
On the same day, several hundred people demonstrated in Kinshasa against this initiative, denouncing the "repeated violations of human rights" in the country.
The election for this non-permanent seat on the Security Council is scheduled for next June.
Kayikwamba Wagner praised the experience of DRCongo, which hosts one of the largest UN peacekeeping missions in the world (Monusco, the former MONUC, which currently has 15 thousand "blue helmets".
If elected, the DR Congo intends to "influence the debate on the reform of peacekeeping and peacebuilding operations, as well as the reform of the United Nations collective security system", said Kayikwamba Wagner.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a country that shares a border with Angola, has been the scene of violence and armed conflict in its eastern and northeastern provinces for 30 years.
Kinshasa has promised to make its "experience in strengthening conflict resolution mechanisms (...) available to the Security Council to prevent wars and international tensions".
The Security Council, considered the most powerful body of the United Nations, is responsible for maintaining international peace and security and can adopt legally binding decisions, as well as having the power to impose sanctions or authorise the use of force.
Several African countries, including South Africa and Nigeria, are seeking permanent seats for Africa on the Security Council.
Currently only five countries have permanent membership status: China, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Russia.
