The 3,000 extra UN troops being sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo need to be elite soldiers from Europe, the UN's ex-peacekeeping chief says.
Jean-Marie Guehenno told the BBC there was an urgent need for an effective international force in the east.
He said an offer from Europe would send a powerful signal to the opposing forces whose conflict has displaced some 250,000 people in recent weeks.
The UN already has its largest peace mission - 17,000 strong - in DR Congo.
But less than 1,000 of these are currently Talk or go, DR Congo rebel warns ...
Belgian Journalist Released Amid Further Congo Unrest ... deployed within the region where clashes between the army and rebels led by Gen Laurent Nkunda have created a humanitarian crisis.
See detailed map of the area
Diplomats admit they do not know where the 2,785 extra troops and 300 police officers the UN Security Council has decided to send, will come from, or when they will be sent.
The Security Council voted on Thursday for the peacekeepers to implement their mandate "in full", through robust rules of engagement.
But Mr Guehenno said it was of the utmost importance that the troops should be sufficiently resourced.
"The key issue is capacities and when the mission is challenged on several fronts, if you do not have enough resources you may have the best rules of engagement and you may improve them but at the end of the day you won't be able [to make] the difference that the people want you to make," he told the BBC's World Today programme.
Unless there was a commitment from Europe, troops were unlikely to be deployed quickly, the former head of UN peacekeeping operations said.
"It's going to be a test of whether the Europeans see Africa as a strategic issue for Europe, as important as Afghanistan - which for me it is - or whether they think it isn't," he said.
On Thursday, the European parliament urged the EU to send special forces to DR Congo.
Most of the UN troops in DR Congo are from India and Pakistan.
They were accused of not doing enough to halt the rebel advance but have stopped them taking the city of Goma - the largest in the region.
The rebels withdrew from positions north of Goma on Wednesday to allow aid into the area. The move came after weekend talks with the UN envoy, Olusegun Obasanjo.
Gen Nkunda has said he is fighting to protect his Tutsi community from attack by Rwandan Hutu rebels, some of whom are accused of taking part in the 1994 genocide.
Return to top
Are you in DR Congo? Do you think this latest move by the UN will make a difference? Send us your views using the form below:
In most cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below.
(BBC)
<< Back